Deadly Obsession
by Drace929
Summary: Punk is a gritty Detective from Chicago who gets transferred to a small quiet town in New Jersey where he thought crime didn't exist, until a horror case that the town thought was closed comes back to haunt the residents. Now it's up to Punk to protect a beautiful young woman from an obsessed deranged sociopath. (Rated M)
1. Back Story

**A/N: Woot! New story! This one is AU and I'm pretty excited about it. It's kind of Halloween themed since it's right around the corner and it won't be too long. It's rated M for obvious reasons so read with caution.**

 **Summary: Punk a gritty Detective from Chicago is transferred to a small quiet town in New Jersey and is less than happy about the lack of action. A gruesome case from the past returns and Punk jumps in feet first to protect an innocent woman from a sociopath's deadly obsession.**

* * *

 **Back Story**

* * *

 _April walked into her home at around 9pm. After a few hours out with close friends and retail therapy April was feeling good. She needed the time away and shopping for prom dresses was just the mental escape she needed. She walked into the dimly lit house and called out for her mother._

" _Mom?" she asked loudly dropping her prom dress onto the chair._

 _She looked around a few of the rooms and didn't find her so walked up the stairs. She checked her mom's room and saw it was empty then as she stepped into the hallway she heard her mother cry out._

" _She's not here!" she sobbed._

 _April quickly moved back into her mother's room and stepped into the already open closet and closed the doors but on a crack. She watched as her mother was pushed into the bedroom and fell onto the floor._

" _Where is she?!" a voice yelled out and April knew the voice. She covered her crying mouth with her own hand in an attempt to silence her own cries._

" _She's at a sleepover!" her mother cried. Her mother knew she wasn't at a sleepover and would be home any minute. "She won't be back until morning! Just-"_

 _The next thing April saw was a knife coming down on her mother and there was nothing she could do. She watched in horror as the life drained from her mother right before her eyes but did her best to keep quiet just like mother would have wanted her to. A police siren startled the intruder has he brutally stabbed her innocent mother and he jetted out of the bedroom and once April heard the front door open she knew it was safe to leave the room._

" _Mom?" she sobbed rushing over to her._

 _Her mother was already long gone but that didn't stop April from running down the stairs to flag down help. Her hands were covered in blood and because she lived in such a secluded part of town finding help wouldn't be easy. The sirens had long passed her home once she was outside but she ran into the middle of the street anyway._

" _Somebody help me!" she screamed. "Anybody!" she screamed waving her hands._

* * *

Phil Brooks walked into the New Jersey police station he called 'work' for the last three months. He hated working in New Jersey it was nothing compared to Chicago. He hated everything about New Jersey, the annoying people, the bad food and he hated all criminals but the ones in New Jersey just weren't as exciting as the ones in Chicago. His punishment was slowly killing him but, he figured being punished wasn't supposed to be a joy.

After shooting and killing a crime boss in Chicago, someone Punk had very public bad blood with he was shipped out and this station in a dead town in New Jersey was the only way he'd be able to stay a Detective. His partner was an alright guy but he was annoying as well, always hyper and happy, always bragging about his wife and kids. Punk wasn't sure how long he'd be able to sit across from this guy before his head officially exploded.

"About time you made it in Brooks." His partner greeted.

"Oh did some kid place a firecracker in the only mailbox in town again?" Punk mocked taking a seat behind his desk.

"Check this out." His partner Shawn Michaels said tossing a folder onto his desk.

"What's this?" Punk asked opening it and immediately came across.

"We weren't always a crime-less town." Shawn said to him.

Punk noticed a photo of a teenage girl and it did seem familiar to him.

"Did you ever hear about the April Mendez case?" Shawn asked him.

"Sounds familiar." Punk admitted staring at the photo trying to place her face.

"She was 16 going on 17, senior in high school when her hipster social studies teacher took a liking to her-" he began but Punk cut him off.

"Of now I remember." Punk said nodding. "He was insane."

"That's a nice word to call him." Shawn said to him. "He tried to make a move on her, her mom got him fired, filed a restraining order-"

"Then he killed her." Punk finished as he looked over the file. "April was there in the house if I remember the case correctly."

"She was, hiding in her closet." Shawn nodded. "That was my case."

"You got him right away." Punk remembered and Shawn smiled.

"I've arrested a lot of people but arresting him was the best moment of my life." Shawn said to him. "No one deserved to be in jail more than that piece of garbage."

"So are you showing me this to tease me with the idea of actually working in this town?" Punk asked closing the file.

"An hour ago I got a call from the mental hospital Jake Miller had been sentenced to. He escaped two days ago." Shawn informed him.

"And you're just hearing about it now?" Punk asked him.

"Don't get me started on that." Shawn said annoyed. "Anyway our new priority is April Mendez."

"This happened what? Five years ago?" Punk asked.

"Seven." Shawn corrected.

"You really think after being locked away for seven years he's going to head right back here into this small crappy town where anyone will be able to pick him out?" Punk asked.

"I'd bet my life on it but I won't bet hers." Shawn said standing up and placing his gun in his side holster.

"She still lives out here?" Punk asked standing up and reaching for his weapon as well.

"Yea she lives in the same house." Shawn said to him and Punk frowned.

"Seems weird she'd want to stay in the same home she watched her mother die in." Punk noted.

"It's all she has left of her mother." Shawn admitted. "She was all April had actually. Her father walked out on April when she was six, her mother worked two jobs to provide for her. I actually went to High School with her and April's father."

"You worked a case you were personally connected to?" Punk asked warily seeing as how that's how he got thrown out of Chicago to begin with.

"We have about 400 people living in this town, everyone knows everyone." Shawn laughed. "I wasn't too close to her mother." Shawn said as Punk followed him out of the station and to his car.

"Where's her dad?" Punk asked.

"He's a lawyer and got an offer from a big firm in LA and never looked back." Shawn said to him as they got into the car.

"He didn't come back when his wife died?" Punk asked surprised.

"He showed for the funeral, sat with April who held his hand." Shawn said bitterly. "April wanted to leave him I know she did."

"So why didn't she?" Punk asked curiously.

"Oh her daddy has a whole new life in LA. New young wife, a few younger kids. He didn't want April tainting his perfect family image." Shawn snorted. "He left April enough money to put herself through college and keep her mama's house but that's it. But this isn't about him we need to worry about Jake Miller."

"Ok I remember bits and pieces of the case." Punk said growing excited that something of interest was finally happening in this town. "The teacher crushed on her-"

"Obsessed with her." Shawn corrected. "He had journals about her, photos all over his place, he kept all of her school work, articles of clothing she'd leave behind in class- it was bad."

"Her mother finds out-" Punk started again but again Shawn cut him off.

"No April went to her mother when Mr. Miller cornered her after class demanding she have dinner with him." Shawn said to him. "April's mom marched right up to the school the next morning and when Jake was pulled into a meeting he didn't deny it instead went on and on about April. He was fired on the spot."

"Then she got a restraining order?" Punk asked.

"The one good thing April's daddy ever did for her was pull strings and get that restraining order." Shawn said to him. "April's mama told me that she was terrified for April that it was the first time she had spoken to him in years. He hadn't done anything physical to her so obtaining the RO was tough but not for Robert Mendez."

"You sound bitter." Punk noted with a laugh.

"He played football in high school and was a dick." Shawn shrugged. "So after the RO was served to him he snapped. He was positive he'd spend the rest of his life with April. He saw Kelly- who was April's mother- as his biggest obstacle and killed her."

"He stabbed her right?" Punk asked looking over the file.

"Seventy eight times." Shawn confirmed. "When he came into the house Kelly told him that April wasn't home while she hid away in her room, April watched while he did it."

"And he never searched the house for her?" Punk asked.

"He didn't think Kelly was going to sacrifice her own life for her daughter, he didn't know Kelly." Shawn said almost smugly. "April was her entire world."

"So I'm assuming you've known April a long time as well?" Punk asked.

"My eldest daughter was born the same day as April and with there being only one hospital out here-" he started.

"And probably one doctor." Punk mocked under his breath.

"Funny." Shawn laughed. "My little girl and April were best friends growing up."

"You said she lives in California now right?" Punk asked.

"Yes she moved off with her husband. Still keeps in touch with April." Shawn said to him. "I promised April the night I found her in that closet that I'd make sure Jake Miller never hurt her again."

"You're going to keep that promise." Punk assured him.

"You know I got stuck with you as a partner right? I didn't ask for the loud mouth, rude and borderline criminal cop from Chicago as my partner." Shawn informed him.

"I like your honesty." Punk remarked coldly.

"But you're not half bad." Shawn said to him. "And I read up on you and I know you'll do whatever you have to do to help keep April safe."

"I'd keep any innocent person safe." Punk said to him. "You don't know the story about Chicago."

"I don't." Shawn agreed. "But I don't care as long as you don't screw this up."

"I won't." Punk said to him looking back down at the young photo of April. "How is her mental state?"

"She's fine." Shawn shrugged. "She see's a therapist or at least she used to. She went to the community college and is an English major. Rumors have it that she's writing a book about Jake Miller but she hasn't said either way. She usually keeps to herself."

"No other family?" Punk asked him.

"Nah." Shawn said shaking his head. "Just her folks and when her mama passed she just hung around my kids and her mom's friends. She used to spend Thanksgiving with us but once Becky went to California she stopped coming around. She had a boyfriend, don't know if he's still in the picture."

"She seems to have lived a pretty normal life." Punk said appreciatively.

"She's tried. The media swarmed her for months after and didn't leave the house until long after the trial." Shawn said to him.

"Why wasn't this guy in prison?" Punk asked him. "I thought he was sentenced to life."

"He was but he obviously has mental issues. A lot of suicide attempts, a lot of attempts on his life." Shawn noted. "April was a minor he was looked at like a pedophile in prison and you know how inmates have moral codes." he snorted.

"She was just a kid." Punk agreed again looking at her photo.

* * *

Ten minutes later they pulled up to a modest size home that a small white picket fence and huge front porch.

"This is it." Shawn said parking in front. There really weren't any homes next to it and it was kind of in the middle of nowhere. "Her car is here, hopefully she's home."

Both Shawn and Punk got out of the car and opened the gate and walked up the porch. Punk looked around and saw she had a bike next to her small car and she kept up with all of the yard work. It was a clean home meant for a family but inside lived one lonely girl.

"She's not answering." Shawn frowned knocking again then looked into the window next to the door.

"You don't think-" he started then he heard barking and a large dog charged up the steps. Punk was almost terrified until the large pitbull terrier began to lick him.

"Charger doesn't greet me like that." Shawn frowned.

"Charger?" Punk asked petting the dog.

"He gets excited sorry." A sweet voice greeted and Punk looked up to see who he presumed to be was April. She looked similar to the school photo Shawn had given him but clearly she was all grown up. Her hair was still dark but had frosted tips, her eyes were painted with just enough eyeliner and thicker lashes. She was a beautiful woman.

"It's fine." Punk said with a smirk and Shawn looked at Punk amused.

"Hi Shawn." AJ smiled smiled giving him a hug.

"Hey kid how are you doing?" Shawn grinned hugging her tightly.

"Good." She said with a happy sigh. "Busy but that's a good thing. Is this a social or professional visit?"

"Have I introduced you to my new partner?" Shawn asked ignoring her question.

"Punk cop from Chicago?" AJ teased extending her hand. "I've heard all about him."

"Word spreads fast in this town." Punk smirked shaking her hand. "But I prefer just Punk."

"Detective Punk?" AJ teased.

"Just Punk Ms. Mendez." He said still smiling at her and Shawn again eyed Punk with amusement.

"Well you can call me AJ." She said to him as she unlocked her front door.

Punk noticed how there were four locks to get inside and he understood why. Charger her dog ran in first and Punk and Shawn followed behind her.

"Coffee?" AJ offered.

"Please." Shawn smiled.

"You know I don't have decaf and you're not supposed to be drinking caffeine." AJ scolded. "Becky told me all about your doctors visit."

"So why'd you offer?" Shawn laughed.

"I was talking to your partner." AJ said as they followed her into the kitchen and Punk couldn't help but stare as she he watched her bend over to place her dog's water bowl down.

"I'll take a cup." Punk said to her. "Black."

"That's the way I drink mine." AJ said putting on the coffee. "Tea?" she asked Shawn who rolled his eyes.

"I guess." He said taking a seat at the table.

"So what's this all about?" AJ asked Shawn.

"I don't even know how to say it." Shawn said as Punk remained standing.

"Two officers followed me on my walk with Charger and I kind of got an idea as to where you're going with this." she said quietly. "He's out isn't he?"

"Yea." Shawn confirmed.

Punk watched as the beautiful face that was so tanned and happy went pale and didn't even realize he had caught her in his arms as she fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry." She said standing up straight in his arms.

"It's fine. I won't let you fall." He said to her.

"We're on this April." Shawn assured her walking over to her. "I'm going to have police parked outside here every day and night until we catch him."

"What if he comes in the back way?" AJ asked him. "That's what he did last time. He knows this house."

"So maybe you leave the house." Shawn suggested. "We'll get you a hotel room."

"There's two hotels out here and he'll know." AJ said to him.

"Maybe you can go to LA and stay with your dad?" Shawn suggested. "Just until this blows over."

"No." She said shaking her head. "He's really busy and I don't want this kind of horror brought onto him and his family."

"You are his family." Punk pointed out.

"You're new here." AJ said with a weak smile. "I'll be ok I knew this would happen but just hearing it shocked me still."

"He's been out for two days already." Shawn informed her as she walked over to the table and took a seat.

"Two days? And no one told me?" She asked nervously.

"I just heard an hour ago." Shawn said to her. "You haven't noticed anything weird anything? Anyone watching you?"

"Nope just the normal amount of stares I get." She said to him sadly. "He's going to come for me."

"We don't know that." Shawn said quickly. "He might just like the taste freedom."

"He's sent me letters." AJ said to him.

"From prison?" Punk asked and she nodded. "Do you have them?"

"No I didn't even open them I brought them right down to the police station and told Harry to give them to you." AJ said to Shawn.

"He never gave me-" Shawn was growing angry now. "I need to read those letters."

"You're leaving?" she asked and Punk could tell she was frightened.

"I have to read those letters. You can come to the station with us." Shawn offered.

"I can't I have writing to do." AJ said to him.

"I'll stay." Punk offered.

"You will?" Shawn asked surprised.

"Yea you won't be long just swing by and get me when you're done. Besides I need a coffee fix. That is if Ms. Mendez doesn't mind?" Punk asked looking at her.

"It's AJ and no I'd like it actually." she said to him.

"Alright I'll be an hour." Shawn said to him. "There's only two ways in front door and back door." he told Punk who nodded. "I'll send the uniforms home for a little bit while you take over unless you think you need the backup?"

"No." Punk remarked smugly. "I'll be fine."

"Right." Shawn said eyeing him then walked away.

"Here." AJ said handing him a hot cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Punk said taking a sip. "This is really good." he laughed. "The best cup of coffee I've had out here since I've been here and you didn't put anything in it?"

"No I just get my coffee from out of town." She smirked pouring herself a cup.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." Punk assured her. "Shawn is really dedicated to catching this guy and so am I."

"That's what they told me the last time." AJ said with a weak smile.

"This won't be like last time." Punk said simply.

"No it won't because there's nothing else he could take from me." AJ said to him.

"I'm damn good at my job." Punk assured her. "You have nothing to be scared of."

"I read about you." AJ said to him. "You coming here was big news in our small town."

"Don't believe everything you read." Punk said to her.

"I don't judge anyone." She said quickly. "You don't look much like a cop."

"The tattoos, messy beard and lack of dress code doesn't scream 'I'm a cop'?" he teased.

"No not really." she laughed lightly.

"Pretty laugh." He noted fondly. "Look I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could help you. I became a cop to protect people and you are the only one in this town who needs protecting as far as I'm concerned."

"I trust you but only because Charger kissed you. He doesn't greet strangers like that ever and he's the best judge of character." AJ said looking over to her huge pitbull who was now sleeping his bed in the kitchen.

"Smart dog." Punk smirked. "You can go do what you have to do." he told her. "I can hang around here and keep busy."

"You don't mind?" She asked.

"I'm not your guest I'm working." Punk reminded her. "You told Shawn you had to work so do that. Don't let this guy take anymore time away from you."

"You're right." She said putting on a brave face. "You can watch TV or listen to music-"

"I'm working. Contrary to what you may have read I take my job very seriously." He assured her.

"Of course." she said walking past him but stopped in the doorway. "I read the man you killed was the man who hurt your sister. I wouldn't judge that." She said surprising him then walked away and he heard her creek up the stairs.

* * *

Punk spent the hour looking around her home and checking the backyard and front entrance. Her home was very cozy for a woman who lived alone but he assumed she hadn't changed much of it after her mother died. Her living room had a small TV and he doubted any cable but she had long book shelves and a few photos of her and her mother. There was one on the mantel above the fire of AJ at her graduation with Shawn and his wife and daughter. Shawn was back an hour later and Punk was now in the kitchen when he arrived.

"She ok?" Shawn asked.

"She hasn't come back downstairs yet but she's yelled down that she's fine." Punk said to him. "Did you get the letters?"

"No." Shawn said annoyed. "They're missing. Harry left them on his desk and swears he passed them off to me but I can't find them. I have to turn that station upside down."

"Did you get them?" AJ asked walking back into the kitchen.

"They got mishandled but they're on their way to me." Shawn assured her.

"I should have read them first..." She trailed off.

"No you did the right thing." Shawn promised her. "Just next time place them into my hands."

"I will." She said to him.

"We need to head out." Shawn told her.

"You have any leads?" she asked him.

"No kid, not yet." Shawn frowned. "But we're going to find some. I've got two uniformed officers outside and they're not going anywhere and we'll swing by before we head home for the night to check in."

"Thank you." She said as Shawn gave her a hug.

"You can sleep soundly April." he assured her kissing her forehead.

"It was nice meeting you Detective." AJ said to Punk.

"Punk." He corrected. "And you too, I'll see you later."

* * *

As soon as Punk got into Shawn's car he looked over to him.

"What?" Punk asked.

"You were eyeing her like a steak dinner." Shawn said to him. "This is a job not a dating service."

"Don't be crazy." Punk huffed putting on his seat belt. "And I don't even eat meat." he teased.

"I need you focused on protecting her, not on her jeans." Shawn warned him.

"You have nothing to worry about. First of all my job comes before anything and second of all she's not even my type." Punk said annoyed.

"Yea, I've known you for all of a few weeks and I know your type. Bad boy." Shawn said smugly as he drove off. "You know what bad boys love? Good girls."

"Oh come off it." Punk laughed.

"You're not denying it." Shawn laughed.

"She's pretty so yes I looked at her but seriously my job is more important." Punk said to him.

"She is your job." Shawn reminded him. "Don't get distracted this guy is a lunatic and it's not just her he'll kill, he'll take anyone out standing in his way out too."

"I'd love to see him try." Punk snorted.

"He's not some ritzy crime boss from Chicago, he's a deranged sociopath." Shawn said seriously. "He has no regard for human life or his own. He doesn't want money, he doesn't want fame, he only wants her."

"I am a Detective." Punk reminded him. "I've worked plenty of cases with deranged killers."

"Not like this guy." Shawn said to him. "Do your homework on him tonight."

"I just don't get how this guy was even a teacher." Punk said to him.

"Sociopath." Shawn said with a firm nod. "They're just like us. Also in Chicago you have a whole City of cops waiting to back you up. Our place force is two hundred. Things are just done differently out here. Having two cops sleeping outside her place isn't even going to last."

"Why?" Punk asked. "She needs the protection."

"So do the other 399 residents that live here." Shawn pointed out. "We don't have the cops to spare."

"She'll be a sitting duck at home." Punk argued.

"I'm going to stay there a few nights." Shawn said to him. "At least the nights the Captain can't spare anyone."

"I'll stay." Punk offered. "I don't have a family and you do. You should be home."

"This is my case." Shawn reminded him.

"Our case now." Punk corrected.

* * *

Punk did as his senior Detective suggested and did his homework on Jake Miller. Punk was at the station until morning reading over all of the files on the man who moved to New Jersey from Ohio and became obsessed with a young student. Punk read April's statement to her principal and the school board. The teacher was a fill-in when the old teacher went on maternity leave and his obsession with April started immediately. The teacher never denied being inappropriate but instead defended his actions by swearing she was the love of his life.

Punk also read all about April who wasn't the most popular but was genuinely liked by all of her classmates. A few of them gave their on statements in support of her claims and supported her when Mr. Miller was fired. Even April's other teachers seemed to like her, hard worker, honest, smart and a lot to offer. She was the kind of student that teachers would dream about and clearly Mr. Miller took it one step too far.

"You stayed all night?" Shawn asked dropping a cup of coffee at Punk's desk and settled into his own desk with his own cup.

"I thought you couldn't drink that?" Punk asked noting his coffee cup.

"It's decaf." Shawn lied with ease.

"Yea I wanted to read up on the case." Punk said closing the file. "I also wanted to hang around in case there was a tip."

"What are you thinking?" Shawn asked leaning back in his chair.

"I think this guy is insane." Punk said honestly. "I also think AJ is in big trouble. I'm also surprised he hasn't gotten to her yet."

"He's a sociopath but he's smart." Shawn noted.

"Yea I read about his college career. Graduated with honors, top of the class and decided to become a teacher." Punk said to him running his hands over his tired face but he looked alert and awake when he spotted AJ walking to their desks.

"Hey kid." Shawn greeted with a warm smile.

"Hi." She said with a small wave and reached into her skull messenger bag purse. "I found a few more of those letters that I forgot to bring by-"

"Jesus how many did he send you?" Shawn asked quickly taking them from her.

"I lost cont." She admitted. "Does it help?"

"Of course it does." Shawn said to her. "Give me a few minutes." he said walking off with the letters.

"How are you holding up?" Punk asked pulling a chair from the desk behind him and swerving it next to him so she could sit.

"I'm fine. Didn't sleep much but neither did you apparently." She teased lightly.

"I won't sleep until he's locked away." Punk assured her.

"Me either." She admitted. "It means a lot that you're working around the clock."

"It's my job." he said simply. "How were the uniformed officers last night? Did you feel ok with them there?"

"They were fine." She shrugged. "Stayed in the car."

"They didn't get out and check around?" Punk asked curiously.

"No but they didn't need to." she said to him.

"Right." Punk forced out. "I think I'll swing by and work the shift tonight." he offered.

"Isn't that past your pay grade?" she asked him. "Or is it that there's not enough officers to babysit me?"

"It's not like that." Punk sighed. "Ok well it is like that." he admitted and she cracked a smile.

"Ok kid I've got James looking over the letters." Shawn told her. "What are you up to today?"

"Nothing just working from home." AJ said looking up at him.

"Did you call your pops?" Shawn asked.

"I left a few messages." She said with ease and Shawn narrowed his eyes. "I should get going. I'll see you later." she said to Punk. "Thanks Shawn." she gave him a wave and walked off.

"See her later?" Shawn asked.

"Your uniformed officers didn't even scoop out the house last night." Punk remarked. "If you're going to have cops there at least make sure they're doing their job."

"Good thing we have an over excited Chicago cop on the squad now." Shawn teased.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay or nay?**


	2. Bodyguard

**Bodyguard**

* * *

Punk arrived at AJ's place at around 8:30 that evening after catching a few hours of sleep before he took the night shift. He saw a patrol car parked outside of her house and rolled his eyes as he approached the car. He knocked on the window and startled the two officers who were playing cards.

"This is how you patrol?" Punk asked them.

"It's quiet." The officer shrugged rolling down his window. "This guy isn't walking back into town and not being spotted."

"He's smart. He escaped, you don't think he figured out how to outsmart the brilliant minds at the department?" Punk mocked.

"It's all good she's in there with her boyfriend anyway." The officer said to him and Punk nodded.

"Fine. You two can take off I'll take over for the night." Punk instructed and they nodded and drove off.

Punk checked the front out of the house then wandered into the backyard. He checked out the bushes and the fence in the back that was much taller than the one in front and made sure no one had left any visible marks. Arguing halted Punk's movements and he reached for his weapon that was tucked under his t-shirt and stalked to the back entrance of AJ's home.

"If you're afraid just say it!" AJ shouted as Punk got close enough to listen and see through the glass back door.

"I'm not afraid babe I just can't get involved with something like this." a brightly blonde man argued. "I've got so much going on at work and this is just unnecessary heat."

"You're afraid of Jake Miller." AJ scoffed. "You're going to leave me alone in this house because you're a chicken shit!"

"Stop calling me that and so what if I am?" the man argued. "This is guy is crazy AJ! He'll gut me like a fish!"

"Fine just go." AJ said throwing his jacket at him.

"Don't you want me safe?" the man asked her. "Why do you want me standing in-between you and some killer?"

"Of course I do." AJ said realizing he may be right. "You have a vacation spot in the Poconos don't you? Do you think I could stay there for a little?"

"I don't think that's a good idea AJ." the man said scratching the back of his head nervously. "My grandparents stop by there often and I don't want any trouble there. Maybe you should try your father again." he suggested putting on his jacket.

"So you're just leaving me on my own?" she asked with a frown.

"It's not like that." He said zipping up his jacket and leaned in to give her a sloppy kiss. "I'll call and check in and once this is all settled things will go back to normal."

"No they won't." She said cleaning off her lips. "If you leave now don't come back."

"You're upset and I get that. I suggest you get out of this death house anyway." he said walking to the door then let out a scream upon seeing Punk standing at the door. He was so startled he fell right onto his ass. "Fuck AJ call the cops!" he screamed getting to his feet and running behind her.

"He is the cops." AJ said with a roll of her eyes and opened the backdoor for Punk. "Hey." She said with a faint smile.

"How's it going?" Punk asked stepping inside. "You ok?" he asked at the blonde man.

"Yea I'm fine." He said with a nervous laugh.

"Nick this is Detective Brooks." AJ introduced.

"Right." Nick said with a nod. "I really have to get going. I'll call you in a few days." He leaned down to kiss AJ but she turned her face so he got her cheek.  
"Night." He said nodding towards Punk then left out the front door.

"He seems lovely." Punk smirked.

"He's just scared and I don't blame him." AJ sighed.

"I wasn't planning on stopping but I heard arguing." he said to her.

"It's fine." She said to him. "I could use the company." she shrugged. "I cooked dinner and if you don't eat some it will go in the trash."

"That's ok I have food in my car." He said to her. "But thanks."

"Ok." She said to him.

"I'll be outside if you need me." Punk said to her.

"When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?" AJ asked him before he walked out the door.

"A long time." Punk admitted.

"I don't want to be in here alone." She admitted bluntly.

"What did you make?" he asked as he removed his jacket and gave in.

"Tacos." She said happily.

"Love Tacos." He said sitting at the kitchen table as he watched AJ prepare something at the counter. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable but I'd like to ask you some questions about Jake Miller. I wasn't around for the case before and the more I know the better."

"You didn't read the files?" she asked placing a dish in front of him.

"I did." He confirmed taking a bite out of the taco she made. "Holy shit this is good."

"I'm a good cook." She replied smugly. "What do you want to know?"

"How did it start? When did you get paranoid around this guy?" He asked as she gave him a glass of water.

"His first day." AJ said sitting across from him. "He was always looking at me and the kids in class would tease me that he liked me. He was one of the youngest teachers we had."

"Were you ever alone with him?" Punk asked him. "Did he call on you a lot?"

"He never called on me but after his second week of being there he asked me to stay after class. He was just saying weird things." She said quietly.

"Like what?" Punk pressed.

"He touched my hair and told me I was beautiful." She said to him. "He asked if I was a virgin and I knew it wasn't right."

"No it wasn't." Punk agreed giving her his full attention.

"He said he wanted to touch me and love me and I just ran out of the class and straight to my mom." she said to him. "My mom came up to the school that next morning and he was fired."

"But your father got a restraining order so did something else happen?" Punk asked her.

"He was around the local shops whenever I was there, I used to work in a book store and he'd show up there." AJ said to him. "I knew that restraining order would just piss him off but my mom was scared and my dad said it was the best thing to do. You don't need me to talk about that night when he..."

"No." Punk said quickly.

"I wondered if I lead him on." she admitted.

"You didn't. You were the kid and he was the adult he should have known better." Punk said to her. "It's not your fault."

"That's what Shawn always said." AJ mumbled under her breath. "I wonder if I had come out of the closet that night how different things would have been."

"Your mom would have died for nothing." Punk said bluntly. "She wanted you safe and you honored her."

"It's so weird but with him back I miss her even more. I just wish I could crawl into her bed and sleep next to her and have her promise me everything is going to be ok." she admitted.

"Everything is going to be ok." He swore. "I always get my guy."

"I wonder where he is." She admitted with a shiver. "Do you think he's close?"

"Well he's not on your property." Punk said confidently. "I don't know where he is or what he's up to but you don't have to worry about it regardless."

"It's been so many years I don't even know what he looks like anymore." AJ said to him.

"I have a picture." he told her. "We're using it on the Wanted posters. It's from the day he escaped."

"Can I see it?" She asked nervously and he nodded and reached for his phone where he had the photo downloaded.

"Here." he said passing her the phone.

"He cut his hair." AJ said as her hand began to shake that held the phone. "His face is the same like he didn't even age. Like that night doesn't haunt him."

"He feels nothing." Punk reminded her taking the phone back. "So you're sure you'd recognize him if you saw him?"

"He could have plastic surgery and I'd know who he was." AJ said to him.

"This was really good." He said finishing his food. "But I should be outside."

"Ok." she said to him.

"Thanks again for the food, it's the best food I've had in this town." he smirked.

"Anytime you're hungry to just stop by. And if you get hungry or have to use the bathroom or anything just come in." she said to him.

"I will." he said grabbing his jacket.

* * *

Later that night AJ was tossing and turning in bed having the same nightmare that was her reality for the last seven years. Punk had used the key to come inside and use the bathroom and as he was about to leave he heard noise upstairs. He walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up and that's when he heard AJ mumbling or groaning he wasn't sure what but he was already up the stairs. He didn't know the layout of the house and pulled his gun out as he slowly and carefully walked down the hallway in search for her. Punk pushed her bedroom door open and went in gun first and saw she was alone and dreaming. He tucked away his gun and was ready to turn around but couldn't bare to leave her in agony.

"AJ." He whispered shaking her gently. "AJ!" he said louder and her eyes shot open.

"What's wrong?" she asked as her chest heaved and sweat poured down her face. "Is he here? Is he-"

"He's not here I heard you yelling and you were having a bad dream." He said to her.

"Oh." She said calming down. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Here." he said passing her the glass of the water that was on her side night table.

"Thank you." She whispered taking a sip.

"Don't worry about it." He said eyeing her. "You need me to stay?"

"No you've done more than enough." She said to him. "It was just a bad memory it happens it's ok."

"Alright." he said standing up. "I'm going to have a look around then be outside."

"You don't have to sit in your car in all night." She said to him. "At least stay inside it's freezing out."

"I'm from Chicago this is warm." he teased then saw she was hoping he'd be closer. "But I think I'll take you up on the offer."

"Thanks." she smiled. "Oh before I forget." She said shooting out of the bed and Punk quickly averted his eyes to his ceiling since even though it was the winter she was wearing barley there tight black shorts and a tank top to bed. "I thought you'd want to see this." she said passing him a VHS.

"What is it?" he frowned looking at it. "Your high school video year book?"

"He's in it." AJ told him and that caught his attention. "It's not for long but the camera crew came to his class a few days. The year book committee thought they edited out all of his parts but they left one in." she said to him. "I have a VCR downstairs that will play it and it's around the one hour mark."

"Thank you." he said to her. "Try to get some sleep." he said with a soft smile then left her room.

Punk was downstairs and watched the video yearbook. Sure enough at the hour mark there was a camera locked in on Mr. Miller's social studies room. Jake Miller was behind his desk and while a student spoke and gave his presentation his eyes were blatantly locked on AJ who was none the wiser of it. Punk became a cop because of people like Jake Miller. The bad people that pried on the innocent people such as April Mendez. He shook his head as he paused the film on Jake's face who was focused on AJ. He hoped he'd be the one to catch this guy again and give AJ the peace she deserved.

* * *

The next day Punk stopped back in the police station to go over things with Shawn.

"What's your problem?" Punk asked his clearly frazzled partner.

"Mr. Mendez is here." Shawn informed him. "He's in the captain's office bitching about how we don't know how to do our job and demanding to know how is daughter being kept safe."

"Why doesn't he just go see his daughter?" Punk suggested.

"It's just for show." Shawn said annoyed. "Throwing around his fancy suit and big words." he said bitterly. "He doesn't care about AJ. If he did he would have done more for her. I guarantee he won't even stop in to see her before he fly's back to his peaceful life."

"These are the Detectives working on the case." The captain said walking Mr. Mendez over to Punk and Shawn's desk.

"Shawn." Mr. Mendez greeted.

"This is my partner Detective Brooks." Shawn introduced.

"How is my daughter?" he asked.

"She's scared." Punk answered coldly. "Maybe you should stop by and see her."

"She's strong and I'm sure she's doing fine." he said to Punk.

"Doesn't mean she doesn't get scared." Punk responded.

"Brooks was the overnight detail at your daughter's house last night. Anything suspicious?" Shawn asked him.

"Nope it was all quiet." Punk said with ease.

"So maybe this guy just moved on." Mr. Mendez shrugged.

"I doubt that." Punk responded. "Your daughter has been his only waken thought for the last eight years. He didn't escape that hospital because he wants freedom he wants AJ."

"April." Mr. Mendez corrected.

"She likes to be called AJ." Shawn answered nervously.

"Since when?" Mr. Mendez asked.

"Since she was 10." Shawn responded coolly.

"I have a meeting so I have to fly back I want to be called with any and all updates on the case." He said passing both Shawn and Punk a card. "Take care of my little girl." He warned the two.

"That piece of crap." Shawn said tossing his card into the trash.

"At least he showed up." Punk said simply tossing the card onto his desk.

"You never talk about your folks." Shawn noted.

"I don't talk about a lot." Punk smirked.

"You have sisters." Shawn pointed out. "The only photos at your desk but they look nothing like you which is weird."

"We're not blood related." Punk said simply. "Family isn't blood."

"Agreed." Shawn said to him. "Going home for Thanksgiving?"

"Nope." Punk said casually.

"Good you can come to my place my wife wants to meet you." Shawn said not asking but telling Punk. "My eldest girl will be there and so will April she seems to have taken to you."

"AJ?" He asked and Shawn nodded. "She has a boyfriend."

"Nick Nemeth is still around?" Shawn laughed. "They've been on and off since they were juniors in high school."

"He dumped her last night when he heard Jake Miller was back." Punk told him.

"He's scared. April lost a lot of friends after the murder." Shawn confided.

"That's a shame. She's sweet." Punk said to him.

"She is just like her mother." Shawn smirked.

* * *

After food shopping AJ's police escort dropped her off at him. She carried the two large bags inside and kicked the door closed behind her but dropped the bags when she saw someone had been in the house. Her place had been ransacked. She turned for the front door and ran out waving to the uniformed officers.

"We have a disturbance at the Mendez residence send backup." the officer said into his radio before getting out of the car.

"Someone is in there." AJ cried to the officers. "I can't find my dog!"

"Wait out here." the officers instructed as they drew their weapons and ran into the house.

A few minutes later the officers were back outside and assured AJ her place was empty but she wasn't about to go back inside. Charger came running out as well and was told he was locked in the bathroom.

"Are you ok boy?" AJ asked petting her dog. "He didn't hurt you did he?" she asked the dog inspecting him.

"It's just your living room and bedroom that have been turn over." the officers told her.

"I don't care about that I just want my dog to be ok." AJ said still petting the dog.

"What happened?" Shawn asked jumping out of his car with Punk following.

"Someone broke in while she was out." The officer told him.

"You left the house alone?" Shawn asked stunned. "You're supposed to be sitting on the house!"

"I thought we were tasked with sitting on her." the officer whispered.

"There's two of you." Shawn hissed. "Had one of you been here we could have gotten him!"

"Is Charger ok?" Punk asked ignoring the scene Shawn was starting and checking on AJ.

"Yea." AJ said relieved as Charger greeted Punk. "I think I'm going to take him to the vet anyway just to make sure."

"You guys have a vet in this small town?" he asked with a laugh petting the dog that was kissing his face.

"We do." She said standing up. "They love Charge they'll take him right away. I find it hard to believe anyone got in the house without him attacking them."

"Yea he seems real vicious." Punk mocked sarcastically as he laughed at the playful dog.

"He just likes you for some reason." AJ giggled.

"April we're going to need you to go inside and look over everything." Shawn said to her.

"I have to take Charger to the vet." AJ told him and left him no room to argue.

"Right this second?" Shawn asked.

"It won't take long, right?" Punk asked her.

"No it'll be an hour tops. I won't be able to concentrate on anything if I think something is wrong with Charger." AJ informed him.

"You'll take her?" Shawn asked Punk. "Charger doesn't like me like he likes you." He smirked.

"No problem." Punk said to him. "I'll drive." he said to AJ.

* * *

"How long have you had Charger?" Punk asked an hour after taking Charger to the vet who get a clean bill of health. He accompanied AJ as she walked Charger before heading back home.

"Three years." AJ smiled as she watched the dog run in the large field freely. "I've never had a dog before because my mom claims I wouldn't have taken care of it. The house just got so lonely and David from the hardware shop had puppies and gave me one."

"He's loyal to you." Punk noted. "He almost bit the receptionist at the vet office."

"He really doesn't like men." AJ laughed.

"I'm all man." Punk laughed.

"Yea you're an exception to him." AJ said with a smile. "It's so weird. Whenever Nick comes around I have to let him outside or in the basement."

"Maybe he doesn't like the smell bleach." Punk laughed at his own hair joke.

"How are you liking Jersey?" AJ asked him.

"It's not my scene." Punk admitted sticking his hands into his pockets. "But it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The people are scary nice here but the coffee blows."

"Are you thinking about going back to Chicago?" She asked him.

"That's not an option for me." Punk said to him. "Besides I finally got an apartment out here."

"That's a big commitment." AJ teased.

"This is my only option." Punk reminded her with a shrug.

"This town isn't that bad. They have fun spots out here." she said to him.

"Really? The only thing I've seen that's open passed eight is a tiny bar two miles away." Punk snorted.

"Never been there so I can't tell you it's fun. I don't drink." She said to him.

"Same." Punk said to her.

"But they do have horseback riding out here and go-kart racing." She said to him.

"You guys must have really partied when you were teens." he teased.

"We made out own fun." She laughed.

"Can I ask you a question now?" Punk asked.

"Sure." She said as she kept her eyes on charger.

"Why are you avoiding home?" Punk asked her.

"I'm not avoiding it." She said lightly. "Ok so I am. I'll go back in I always do."

"It's important we figure out what he took." Punk said to her. "This is a good thing AJ."

"Oh really?" She asked annoyed.

"Yes really. We know he's here and we know he's close." Punk said to her.

"You would consider that good." AJ mumbled. "That just terrifies me."

"I'll be there." Punk promised her. "I'll be at your place anytime you are."

"Really?" she asked him.

"Really." he assured her.

"I couldn't ask you to do that." she said shaking her head. "You have your own life."

"I really don't have much one." Punk admitted. "There's no near baseball or hockey games, I don't have friends out here and I spend most of my nights in the station. It will be a welcome change."

"You'll adjust soon." she assured him. "It's a great town."

"I'll take your word for it." He said to her. "So what do you say? Ready to get back home?"

"I guess." She said then whistled and Charger came- well charging towards her.

* * *

"A laptop, a photo of her and her mother- that's it." Shawn said into the phone to his boss while AJ spoke to Punk about the items she realized were missing.

"What was on the laptop?" Punk asked.

"Just my book." She said to him. "No photos, nothing personal. Just my book."

"Did you write about him in the book?" Punk asked writing it all down.

"Everyone thinks I'm writing about my mothers murder. Like I would even want to relive that let alone make money off of it." She remarked bitterly.

"What's it about? If you don't mind me asking." He questioned.

"Are you going to put it in your report?" She asked him.

"No." He said closing his notepad and stuffing it into his back pocket.

"It's about the life I dreamed of always having." She admitted with a the tiniest smile. "A young girl growing up in a small town with both of her parents. There's no bad guys or bad parents just a feel good story. Oh and the little girl is a superhero" she confided. "I don't think it will sell a lot but it makes me feel good."

"Like it's your escape from reality?" he asked her.

"Yea something like that." she said to him. "I was almost done too."

"We'll get it back." Punk said to her.

"It's fine better the laptop than Charger or me." She said to him.

"Better he stole your dreams than you yourself?" Punk asked.

"Yea I suppose." She smirked. "Like I said I don't even think it would get published I just liked writing it."

"I'd read it." He said surprising her.

"I doubt that." She laughed.

"Seriously. I love superhero's." He said with a grin.

"Cool so my Batman posters and comics won't scare you." She teased.

"Scare me? I might just move in." He laughed. "Batman is my favorite."

"There's really no other options." She said seriously.

"I have so many comics at home I could open my own shop." He admitted.

"My basement is all comics." she laughed. "It's like a comic book library. If you get bored you can have look around."

"I might take you up on that." Punk said to her.

"Ready to go?" Shawn asked Punk.

"I'm going to stay the night." Punk told him and Shawn's eyes widened in surprise. "I promised AJ I'd stick around."

"Oh ok." Shawn said smiling. "You ok with that kid?"

"Yea of course." She assured him.

"Good. At least I'll sleep soundly knowing she's in good hands." Shawn said relieved. "I'll pick you up in the morning."

"Alright." Punk said to him.

"Get some sleep sweetheart." he said giving AJ a kiss on the cheek. "Night Brooks."

"I'm going to cook dinner are you hungry?" she asked him.

"Starved." he said to her. It was like he was hanging out with a friend and not being tasked with a job, he could get used to this. "What are you cooking?"

"I was thinking pasta?" she suggested.

"I'm in." he grinned.


	3. Monopoly

**Monopoly**

* * *

"So what's his story?" Shawn's oldest daughter asked AJ as they prepared appetizers in the kitchen for Thanksgiving.

"Who? Punk? He's your dads partner he knows more than I probably do." AJ said casually.

"Really? Because my dad told me he's become your personal guard." Becky grinned.

"Don't tease April." Shawn's wife Cheryl warned her.

"I'm not teasing I'm just asking. He's a hottie." Becky said to her.

"He's cool." AJ replied coyly. "If he wasn't forced to spend time with me I doubt he would."

"I heard he volunteered." Cheryl said quietly.

"Really?" AJ asked her.

"Yea Shawn told me he's very dedicated to you. Its very sweet." Cheryl said to her.

"You need a guy like him." Becky insisted. "Someone who is willing to protect you not run out the door."

"I already told you that you can't be mad at Nick for leaving." AJ sighed. "No one would stick around and wait to be killed."

"You've been with him on and off for years he should want to be there to protect you." Becky scolded.

"I agree." Cheryl added as she moved around the kitchen. "You need a man in your life willing to walk through fire for you not run at the smell of smoke."

"When he thought Punk was Jake he screamed and hid behind me." AJ laughed.

"Oh jeez." Cheryl said with a roll of her eyes.

"Punk seems like the type to stick around and protect you." Becky added coyly.

"Yes he is probably because he gets paid to do so." AJ teased.

"I think he's cute." Cheryl said with a grin. "You two would make a beautiful couple."

"Stop that. I need to worry about other things not dating." AJ said to them.

"You're going to let this lunatic take away more from you?" Becky demanded. "No chance in hell not on my watch!"

"I shouldn't even be here who knows if he's not lurking waiting to barge in here." AJ argued.

"Good." Cheryl replied coldly. "I'd kill him myself." she said firmly.

"He wouldn't make it passed the front door." Becky added.

"I wish you'd stay here until things settle." Cheryl insisted to AJ.

"I already told you I'm fine at home and I'm in good hands." AJ said to her.

"Tattooed hands." Becky teased. "He's been watching you all night."

"It's his job." AJ laughed.

"Not here tonight. Tonight he is off duty." Becky said firmly. "Daddy told him he was a guest not a guard or a Detective."

"He's just used to it." AJ shrugged.

"He just likes your ass." Becky giggled.

"Do you hear the way your daughter talks?" AJ asked Cheryl with a laugh.

"Here bring these out." Cheryl said passing AJ a tray. "Bend over when you put it down and I'll let you know if he's checking you out."

"Cheryl!" AJ scolded the normally conservative woman.

"Do it!" Becky laughed pushing her out of the kitchen.

Cheryl and Becky watched as AJ placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the TV where the boys were watching football and walked back into the kitchen.

"He totally checked you out." Becky laughed.

"He did not." AJ argued.

"His eyes nearly popped out of his head." Cheryl confirmed. "Being with a cop is nice you don't have to worry about parking tickets."

"I'm not going to be with him, ok?" AJ asked with a laugh.

"You don't like him?" Becky asked.

"Of course I like him he's protecting me." AJ defended. "He also likes all the weird stuff I like."

"So what's the problem?" Cheryl asked curiously.

"I don't know." AJ shrugged. "People I grow to love leave." she shrugged.

"Don't think like that." Becky scolded.

"And clearly he isn't leaving he's here for a reason." Cheryl pointed out.

"I heard he was a dirty cop." Becky whispered.

"No." AJ said shaking her head.

"Don't believe everything on TV Becky." Cheryl warned her daughter.

"Killed a big crime boss who messed up his sister." Becky added.

"It was self defense and clearly the judge believed him but the City did not." AJ said to them. "It wasn't right."

"He's talked to you about it?" Cheryl asked surprised.

"We talk about a lot." AJ shrugged.

"Well he doesn't talk to Shawn about it but Shawn believes him. Shawn actually really likes him, says he's the best partner he's had in years and I'm all for Shawn having a partner who actually has his back." Cheryl told them.

"That's all I care about." Becky agreed. "Keeping my daddy and my best friend safe. He's alright in my book."

"Can we stop gossiping about him now?" AJ asked them. "He's great, he's good at his job, he makes me feel safe in my own home which is no easy task and Charger loves him."

"Marry that boy." Cheryl said seriously as she carried trays over the table.

"No one is getting married. Let's see if I even make it to my next birthday." she said to them.

"I don't like those kind of jokes." Cheryl warned her seriously. "You're going to be fine. It's been weeks now and he can't stay hiding forever. You just stay positive and move on with your life."

"Yea preferably with the bad boy with a heart of gold." Becky teased taking a bite out of carrot.

"Ugh enough." AJ groaned.

* * *

Later that evening AJ was in the kitchen washing some dishes with the help of Punk who was drying them.

"Was this ok tonight? Did you miss home?" she asked him.

"This was better than I thought it would be even though I hate football." He smirked as she passed him another dish to dry.

"I couldn't tell." She teased. "I'm glad you came."

"Who wants to be alone for the holidays?" he shrugged.

"It must be lonely out here for you." she noted.

"I'm better off that way." Punk admitted.

"I say the same thing sometimes." AJ said to him. "Did you talk to your sisters?"

"What's with the sudden inquisition?" he teased.

"We spend a lot of time talking about me and it's your night off so it's your turn." She shrugged passing him another dish.

"I did speak to my sisters." Punk said to her. "And my mother. They're doing great so that's all I care about."

"You regret not going home for the holiday?" she asked him.

"I have a job here." He reminded her drying one of the last dishes.

"You stayed to guard me?" she laughed.

"Why is that funny?" he asked seriously. "I promised you I'd have your back until we got Jake."

"I'm just not used to people keeping their promises that's all." she admitted.

"Well I do." He said to her happily. "I'm a man of my word."

"Good to know." She whispered as he was called into the living room by Shawn and Becky's husband.

* * *

AJ stepped outside for some fresh air and looked up at the dark sky and stars. She always searched for the biggest one and would imagine it was mother looking down at her. She rubbed her arms with her hands as she sat on the swing outside and lightly kicked and kept her eyes on the star.

"I really miss you." she whispered.

"I've missed you too." A voice responded and AJ's head jerked to the side towards the bushes where she swears she heard it.

"No." She whispered slowly getting off the swing but taking a few steps towards where she heard it.

"Yes." the harsh whisper responded.

AJ titled her head as she moved closer and then quickly pushed the bushes to the side and was relieved when she saw nothing. She turned around and came face to face with her nightmare.

"Boo." he laughed and she let out the most blood curling scream as she fell to the grass with a thump.

AJ watched as he hopped the fence but that didn't stop her from screaming until people flew out of the house.

"AJ?" Punk asked kneeling over her as he was the first one to reach her.

"He was right here." She cried.

"Where?" Shawn asked looking around the dark yard.

"He was in the yard." She cried. "Hiding in the bushes. He hopped the fence!" she yelled pointing.

"Call it in." He instructed Punk as he ran into his house to retrieve his weapon.

"Shawn wait for back up." Cheryl begged.

"I'll go with him." Punk said to her. "Just take care of her." He said pointing at a shocked AJ.

"Come on honey let's get inside." Cheryl insisted as she and Becky helped her to her feet.

"He's already gone." AJ whispered as she let them help her into the house.

A half hour later Shawn and Punk were already back and turned up with nothing.

"The only thing we found was this." Shawn said holding up a piece of a black jacket. "It was on the fence I'm assuming he ripped his jacket when he jumped over. Was this what he was wearing?"

"I only saw his eyes." AJ said with glassy eyes. "I'm sorry Shawn."

"It's fine kid. You did great." Shawn assured her.

"I'm going to take AJ home." Punk suggested.

"Maybe she should stay here." Cheryl suggested.

"I'm not staying here in a house filled with innocent people and children." AJ said standing up. "I'll go back home."

"She'll be fine." Punk assured Shawn's wife.

"We're going to have two uniformed officers outside." Shawn told AJ.

"Wait you're not staying?" she asked Punk alarmed.

"No I'll be there but I'll be inside." Punk told her.

"Ok good." She said relieved.

"He's slipping honey, this is a good thing." Shawn reminded her cupping her cheek and she just nodded.

"Thanks for dinner." AJ said to Mrs. Michaels.

"Yes thanks for everything." Punk added grabbing AJ's jacket and helping her into it.

"Please call me in the morning." Cheryl pleaded giving AJ a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll call." AJ promised.

"And take good care of my girl." Cheryl warned Punk, surprising him by also giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I will." he promised.

* * *

Once back at AJ's she put the fire on this cold night and sat with Punk in the living room as the two played Monopoly.

"You sure you don't want to try to sleep?" he asked her as it was getting late.

"You just want me to quit because I'm winning." She laughed rolling the dice.

"No." He laughed as he eyed the board and saw AJ occupied all the best properties.

"I can't sleep but you can sleep if you want." She offered.

"I'm not here to sleep." he said to her. "I'm here to watch you."

"Fine it's your turn." She said passing him the dice.

The wind was blowing hard and the light went out causing AJ to jump slightly but thankfully due to the fire burning in the living room there was still light.

"Power goes out all of the time here." she said to him standing up. "I have candles."

AJ walked over to the nearby closet and jumped back when something fell out.

"You ok?" he asked standing behind her.

"Yea I just scared myself." She whispered reaching for candles and passed him a few candels.

"It's ok you know." he said setting the candles on the Monopoly board and lit them.

"Ok?" she asked holding two more candles.

"To be scared." he clarified.

"Seeing someone die will shake you." She pointed out.

"I know." He said knowing.

"Seeing someone you love, get murdered right in front of you- the person you thought was was invincible and would never go away, the person you looked to protect you." She rattled off. "It scares me."

"And like I said that's ok." he said with a reassuring smile.

"I feel better with you here." She admitted bluntly.

"Good because I wouldn't be doing my job if you didn't." He said to her brushing her hair gently out of her face.

AJ felt some sort of shock to her system with the gently touch from the rough bad boy cop. She could feel her breath leave her body but a loud knock at the door again startled her and even Punk.

"Wait here." He instructed AJ and placed his hand over his weapon as he slowly opened the door.

"You guys ok?" the officer asked. "We saw all the lights go out."

"Power is out." Punk told him and AJ was relieved.

"Street lights are out too." the officer told him.

"That's fine he might think he'll go unnoticed if he's around and the power is out. Keep your eyes open." he warned him.

"Of course Detective." the officer said then hurried off.

"I forgot you're a Detective sometimes." AJ smirked.

"Yea?" he laughed. "Maybe I should do undercover."

"You're good at your job." AJ said to him.

"You don't even remember I'm doing my job." he snorted.

"You're kind of like a friend." She shrugged. "Not a stiff cop babysitting me."

"You don't need a babysitter. And I like being here with you." he said honestly. "You're the coolest person I've met in this entire town."

"That's not saying much." She laughed sitting on the couch and he joined her. "Ok it's my turn." she grabbing the dice to the game and was about to drop them.

"No you cheater it's my turn." he laughed trying to grab the dice from her.

"No you missed your turn you took too long!" she laughed as he climbed over her trying to grab it causing her to drop the dice onto the board but she didn't get a chance to even see where it landed because Punk's body was now pressed into hers and their faces were inches apart.

Punk was frozen in place as he couldn't pry his eyes off of her and watched as she subtly licked her lips. He knew this was oh so very wrong but he couldn't resist. AJ had been the most down to earth woman he had met in a very long time and that was including the many women in Chicago. He began to lean down as AJ cupped his face and pulled him into one of the hottest kissed he had ever experienced. AJ's legs parted slightly as he rested in-between them and covered her mouth with hot kisses.

Punk's slippery lips left hers and kissed down her jawline and neck. AJ could feel her body grow hot like fire. She was feeling things that she had never felt before and it had everything to do with the man kissing her. He was all man, from the way he dressed, walked, behaved, looked at her and now- kissing her. She could feel herself begin to grow wet as she slightly lifted her hips to grind against him. Punk's hands were rough as they almost politely explored her sides as his lips moved across her exposed collarbone.

Punk's lips meant hers again as his chested rested against hers and he could feel how hard her nipples were since she was wearing a thin sleeping top on with no bra. His hands were now in limbo as he wasn't sure what she wanted to do or how far this should go but she grabbed his hand as he continued to kiss her and pushed him passed the spandex of her loose sweats and guided his hand past her panties and encouraged him to touch her. Feeling how moist she already was caused him to growl into her kiss. He pulled his lips away from her abruptly and his hand out of her sweats. AJ looked up slightly out of breath wondering if she scared him off with her aggressiveness.

Punk eyed the beautiful and excited woman under him and sat up slightly and pulled hit t-shirt off of his body and AJ was relieved. She began to reach for her own shirt but he quickly pulled it off of herself. Even though her chest was bare he couldn't take his eyes off of hers and that spoke volumes to her. She sat up slightly and reached for the belt of his jeans and began to unbuckle it and lower the zipper of his jeans.

"Are you sure?" he asked clasping his hands over hers. "One more minute and I won't be able to stop."

She just shot a brow up and lowered his zipper fully down and then kissed over his hip dents then began to kiss up his stomach as she came to her knees and kissed over his colorful chest and again reached his lips and kissed his mouth again. Punk wrapped his arm around her waist and turned so he was sitting on the couch and she was straddling over his thighs. She loved the rough feel of his messy beard and his chapped lips and slowly grinding her hips into him.

Punk's hands moved to her ass and gave her cheeks a tight squeeze than began to tug them down. Punk had been staring at her ass since the day he met her a few weeks back and had to peer over her shoulder to get a look at her from behind. AJ kissed his neck as he smiled at her perfect backside and grew hard at just the sight of her in her thong and with her help kicked off her pants fully.

"I need you." She whispered into his ear. She knew it wouldn't be hard to convince him since he was practically twitching in his jeans.

Punk began to palm her over her panties as she captured his lips again and moaned into his mouth as he pushed her panties to the side and teased her relentlessly. His fingers slid into her warm and wet body. Her hips matched his fingers while his lips remained attached to hers. He knew this was not supposed to be happening he needed to be alert and ready to protect her but this went too far and he wasn't stopping. He teased her nub with his thumb until she came and clenched his fingers and listened to the sweetest sounds he had ever heard in life.

Punk gave her a moment as he slipped his fingers into his mouth and was stunned when her tongue slipped into his mouth at the same time. It turned him onto the point where he thought he'd cum right then and there in his jeans and knew he had to hurry this along. He swiftly laid her across the couch and tugged his jeans down just enough to free himself.

"Are you ready?" he asked her as he slipped on a condom that was in his wallet.

"Yes." She said nervously.

He teased her folds with his head before gently pushing in a few inches then a few more, and another few until he jerked into her as far as he could go and she screamed out in pleasure. He gave her a body a few minutes to adjust but the urge to push was strong and began to move smoothly in and out of her. His hands were fists on either side of her body as he kept most of his body weight off of her.

"Fuck AJ." he groaned studying her face.

"Harder." She requested and he began to push into her harder causing her to smile at the slight pain. It should have freaked him out but only encouraged him to do it more. "That's it." she cooed as he dropped down onto her body and buried his face into her neck and began to suck and nibble over her pulse point.

His hips never slowed down as her hands clawed at his back and left bloody scratches, her hands explored his backside and pinched and teased him there as he rocked in and out of her. Her hips moved slightly up to match up to find the release that her body was craving but he wasn't ready and he wasn't about to let her go again so soon. Her arms were now wrapped around his neck and moved her fingers into his now sweaty hair as she gasped at the way he stretched her body like no other man ever had before.

"Ugh god." She cried as her body felt never so good in her entire life.

"You're good." she could hear him say against her neck. "So fucking good I could do this for hours."

Punk lifted his head slightly and she could feel the burning to her neck and knew Punk had left mark but she didn't even care, he could leave whatever he wanted her body as long as he made her feel that good every time he did so. After a few minutes of sweet kissing Punk's hips picked up the pace as he was becoming erratic and ready to release. That was fine by AJ because a few seconds with the increased pace she came harder than she had ever done and that just pushed Punk into his own release which was a powerful finish.

"Oh fuck." He groaned pulling out of her with ease and sitting up on the couch.

"Was it not..." she trailed off nervously suddenly feeling very exposed. "Was I not..."

"No, no." he assured her quickly. "That and you were fucking great." he said still slightly out of breath as she reached for her shirt and quickly put it on. "I just shouldn't have done it. They could pull me from this case." he pointed out and her face fell.

"No." She said shaking her head. "Don't say anything." She said to him.

"It's a distraction now." he said to her. "It's a conflict of interest."

"No one will have my back like you do." she argued.

"I'm not leaving the case." He said standing up and cleaning himself off. "No one can know AJ." he warned her. "If you want me to stay on this case-"

"I won't tell anyone." She promised as she pulled her sweats back on.

"I'm not ashamed or anything." He assured her as his emotions were running wild. "I just don't trust anyone to protect you like I can."

"I don't either." she agreed.

Punk looked over to her as she tied her sweats and her hair was now messy down and her makeup was smeared slightly and she looked so great against the candle light and fire burning. Now that he knew what was waiting for him under those clothes he was already ready to recover and take her again and again and again. It being a long few months since he had been with a woman wasn't helping his urges either.

"What?" she asked nervously she was still so afraid she scared him off.

"You look beautiful." he admitted bluntly. "You are beautiful."

"You're making me blush." She said shyly turning away from him.

"You're making me-" he stopped in his tracks. "Maybe you should go to bed." he said with a nervous laugh scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe you should come with me." She offered. He had to admit the offer was very tempting but he was here to protect her not get his dick wet. "There's two uniformed officers outside." she pointed out.

"That is true." Punk admitted taking small steps towards her.

"They'll come in or call if they hear or see something." She added and he again nodded as he reached her.

"Again very true." he said with a sly grin.

"And you should be close to me." She added.

"Very close." he whispered nipping at her lips and her body felt look goo.

"And it's not like you'll be sleeping." She pointed out.

"Nope. No sleeping." He said kissing the corner of her mouth now.

"And technically tonight is your night off." she said as his hands moved around her body and cupped her rear giving her cheeks a firm squeeze.

"That is also very true." he agreed and lifted her so her legs were wrapped around his body. She leaned down to kiss him as he carried her carefully up the stairs...

"That mother fucking prick." Jake seethed from outside the living room window. He was in a safe hiding spot behind a large tree and bushes, a spot he discovered years ago. He took a drag of his cigarette as he watched the new Chicago Detective carry April up the stairs of her home. "I'm going to fucking kill him."

* * *

The next morning Shawn was by early to check in and was greeted by a surprisingly very happy April.

"You holding up ok?" Shawn asked from the kitchen table as she poured him a cup of tea.

"Oh yea I had great night." She said excitedly and he eyed her oddly. "I meant I slept great last night." she corrected quickly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Where's my Detective?" Shawn asked sipping the tea and making a disgusted face.

"He's taking a shower." AJ said to him.

"Making himself right at home I see." Shawn teased.

"He's here more than he his at home." AJ defended.

"It's fine." Shawn smiled. "You lost power I heard."

"I did but we made due." She shrugged as Shawn watched her pour another cup of coffee.

"Hey." Punk said greeting Shawn as he stepped into the kitchen in loose sweats and a plain white t-shirt.

"Here." AJ said passing him a cup of coffee as he stood very close to her by the counter.

"You have a good night?" Shawn asked Punk as he sipped his tea.

"Yea it was quiet." Punk shrugged.

"Did you get any sleep?" Shawn asked.

"Yea a few hours and I slept great." Punk said with a big smile, matching AJ's words and smile Shawn held back his own laugh.

"So did AJ." Shawn grinned.

"It must have been dinner." AJ said sipping on her coffee.

"Must have." Shawn teased watching the two. "Since we actually have daylight today I want to go back to my place and canvas the area and see if we can find anything that Jake may have left behind."

"Great." Punk said to him.

"What are you doing today?" Shawn asked her.

"Taking Charger for a walk in ten minutes, taking a shower after, going over to the diner for lunch with your daughter before she fly's back home, coming back here to clean and then reading until I fall asleep." she said almost mockingly going down her entire day's plan.

"You're going to have Jones and Richards outside take them when you leave." Shawn warned her.

"Yes Shawn." she promised.

"I won't have a uniformed detail for tonight since there has been some burglaries in Greenville so if you want I'll stay the night." Shawn offered.

"That's ok I'll stay." Punk said brushing it off.

"Are you sure?" Shawn asked trying not to laugh. "I mean I don't mind at all."

"It's ok really." AJ said to Shawn who just nodded. "Punk and I are in the middle of an intense board game."

"It's been going on all night huh?" Shawn teased tilting his head and seeing the nice size hickey on her neck but keeping to himself.

"You know how I am with games." AJ laughed.

"Of course." Shawn laughed. "Alright well let's head out." he said grabbing his jacket. "I'll see you tonight April."

"Bye Shawn." She waved as he walked him to the front door and waited for Punk to leave. He slipped on his jacket and once Shawn was halfway to the car he gave her a quick kiss behind the wood door.

"I'll see you tonight." He said to her giving her a wink then followed Shawn to the car.

* * *

Once they got back to Shawn's place they went over the yard carefully searching for any kind of clue besides the ripped jacket they found the night before.

"I'll kill you if you hurt her." Shawn said causing Punk to stop his search in the bushes and turn and look at him.

"What?" Punk asked as Shawn was still across the yard looking behind trees.

"That's what I would say to any man who decided to get involved with April." Shawn laughed. "I'm not saying you are." He said with a chuckle. "Because if you were I'd have to report it to the boss and the boss would take you off the case and I'd get stuck with some crappy partner and I've actually grown fond of you."

"Noted." Punk said seriously.

"I mean she doesn't really have a father or anyone to look out for her so I feel it's my duty to look out for her." Shawn added casually as he searched his yard. "She deserves someone who will put her first and not run out on her."

"I agree." Punk said quietly as he continued to search.

"I just hope whoever decides to take that next step with her respects her." Shawn added. "Every man in her life has either hurt her or ran out on her."

"What do you want me to say?" Punk asked annoyed turning to looking at him. "I don't even know what we're-"

"Ah! Ah!" Shawn yelled covering his ears. "I hear nothing because what I do know about you is that you're serious about keeping her safe and taking Jake Miller off the streets."

"That's my priority." Punk assured him.

"So keep it that way and don't put me in a position where I have to lie for you because I am a terrible liar." Shawn grinned.

"I get it." Punk said to him. "I'm sure though whoever is lucky enough to get past some of her walls won't take advantage of it. I'm sure the very handsome man that had her smiling this morning won't just run out on her if she gives him the chance."

"That's good to know." Shawn said then frowned when he looked at the ground. "Come here." he said waving him over but keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Cigarettes." Punk said seeing at least ten cigarettes buds on the ground behind the bushes AJ had heard Jake.

"Miller is a smoker." Shawn confirmed leaning down but not touching them.

"He must have been here a while last night." Punk frowned.

"We'll get crime scene down here to check it out." Shawn said to him.

"This town has a crime scene unit?" Punk asked in disbelief.

"Well no. I meant I'll call some uni's down and they'll bag it up and bring it to the nearest lab in Jersey." Shawn laughed.

"How is he still not been spotted?" Punk asked him.

"He's smart. He was never accused of being stupid." Shawn said almost bitterly. "I really need you to keep your eyes opened tonight he might swing by and not seeing a police car there might encourage him to try something. I'm thinking I might hang around tonight too."

"I don't think that's necessary." Punk said to him. "Do you really think I can't do this?"

"Of course I do. But if Mr. Miller were to swing by and find April in the arms of her mystery boyfriend or whatever he is to her it won't be just her who needs protecting. I hope her new 'friend' has considered that." Shawn said to him.

"I'm sure AJ's new 'friend' is more than aware and isn't afraid of some perverted teacher with a sick fantasy." Punk retorted smugly. "AJ strikes me as someone who would be with someone a lot strong and smarter than Jake Miller."

"Well I think I'll hang around regardless." Shawn shrugged. "I love Monopoly." he teased slapping Punk's shoulder who groaned in annoyance. "Oh." Shawn said turning to face Punk again. "If you happen to meet April's new buddy tell him leaving visible marks on her neck is going to cause people to gossip and speculate and in this town everyone loves to do that." he smirked knowingly and Punk wanted now embarrassed.

"I'm sure he was just caught up in the moment." Punk laughed nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yea I'm sure he was." Shawn grinned then walked off.

"Fuck." Punk mumbled under his breath then followed Shawn.


	4. Helping Hand

**Helping Hand**

* * *

Punk and Shawn arrived back at AJ's later that night at around ten. Shawn checked in with the patrol officers who were taking off for the night as Punk walked in the door and was greeted by Charger. Punk stepped into the living room and saw AJ sleeping peacefully on the couch as the fire burned a few feet away.

"You should take her upstairs." Shawn whispered walking inside. "Poor thing is exhausted."

"Yea ok." Punk said scooping up her up carefully and carrying her up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. He placed her gently in the center of the bed and before he could fully pull away she latched onto his arms and pulled him into a kiss.

"Hi." she smiled warmly nipping at his lips one last time before releasing him.

"Hey." He grinned.

"Did you find anything?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yea some cigarettes in Shawn's yard." Punk said sitting on the edge of the bed near her.

"He's a smoker." She frowned.

"Yea I know." He said to her gently pushing her hair away from her face. "Shawn's here too."

"Oh." She said to him with a frown. "That puts a damper on the evening."

"I had to actually work tonight anyway." He smirked.

"So I napped for nothing." She smiled as she stretched her body out. "Can you stay for a few minutes?"

"Yea I think I have a few minutes." Punk smirked and leaned down to kiss her.

AJ pulled his body fully over hers as he kissed her and pressed into her tiny but willing body. He couldn't let this go too far since Shawn was downstairs and Jake Miller was closer than close. He couldn't let time with AJ distract him from doing his job of protecting her he needed to be alert.

"Ok." Punk said pulling away. "I need to head downstairs. You should sleep."

"I left food out for you and Shawn." She told him.

"Alright. Anything go on today?" he asked her.

"No everything was normal." She assured him. "No sociopath stalking me that I knew of."

"Good." he said to her and kissed the small bite mark he left on her neck the previous night. "You're going to have to cover that."

"I forgot about it." She blushed lightly placing her hand over it.

"I'll try to be more discreet next time." He teased. "Get some sleep." he said standing up.

* * *

Once Punk was downstairs he and Shawn were watching a hockey game on the small TV and out of nowhere Charger ran to the living room door and began scratching at it.

"What's out there?" Shawn laughed at the dog.

"I'll take a look." Punk said standing up.

"Alright." Shawn said turning off the TV. "I should have a look out back but it's probably just a raccoon teasing Charger." he laughed walking out the back.

Punk stepped outside and Charger ran passed him and to the spot behind the bushes.

"Come on don't kill anything." Punk complained turning on a flashlight and pushed passed the bushes.

There wasn't an animal- there was nothing except for cigarette buds.

"What the fuck?" Punk asked slowly as he knelled down and saw it was the same brand that was found at Shawn's. Charger definitely saw someone out here just now and Punk would bet on his life it was Jake Miller.

"Back is clear." Shawn said to him.

"He's here." Punk told Shawn who drew his weapon as did Punk.

"Check the side of the house." Shawn whispered to Punk. "I'm going to check the shed it could be an easy hideaway for him."

AJ was in bed when she heard voices. She smiled as she thought Punk was coming upstairs until she realized the voice didn't belong to Shawn or Punk. Her chest tightened as she sat up and realized Charger wasn't at her side either. She quickly scurried out of the bed and ran into her closet as she flashed back to the horrible night seven years ago. She instantly began to cry and prayed that no one looked for her in here. She peeked out the crack in the door and saw footsteps enter the bedroom.

AJ watched as the man in her room turned on her light and through her covers off her bed. She placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs as she heard the man open her bathroom door. She knew she couldn't just sit there and reached for her baseball bat that she kept hidden there. She was absolutely shaking as her closet door slowly opened and she hit the man as hard as she could with a bat and ran out of the room.

"Phil!" She screamed running down the hall but to her surprise someone grabbed her from around her waist. "Shawn!" she screamed as the man placed his hand over her mouth and she bit down hard and he released her.

AJ had no idea what was going on but she ran into her mother's bedroom and slid under the bed. She wouldn't make it down the stairs so she hoped this would work but she knew it wouldn't. She again shook in terror as she saw four feet enter the bedroom and began opening the closet doors. In a flash someone grabbed her ankle and pulled her from under the bed as she tried to grip the hardwood floor but couldn't.

"Phil!" she screamed louder as the two men pulled her to her feet.

"Don't fucking move." the chillingly cold voice of Punk rang out. He was holding his gun firmly.

"Let's relax here." the man that AJ now realized she didn't recognize spoke out. The bearded man had his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from moving.

"Let her go." Punk warned him taking a step forward.

"Drop your weapon." the other man instructed.

" .Go." Punk hissed slowly.

"We're the FBI." the man standing next to AJ informed him. "I'm going to reach into my pocket and pull out my ID." he said moving his hand slowly.

"How about you let her go then your partner could show me his ID as well." Punk suggested.

"Ok just relax." the man said slowly loosening his grip on AJ who ran behind Punk and he happily shielded her behind him.

"Check it out." The man said holding up his ID to Punk.

"Mine too." The bearded man said flashing his own badge.

Punk slowly lowered his gun and could feel AJ shaking behind him.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked AJ.

"Yea I'm just shaken up." she said as her teeth chattered.

"Who invited the suits?" Shawn asked walking into the bedroom. "What did you do? Scare her?" he asked looking over to AJ.

"We didn't mean to." the man said to him. "How are you Shawn?"

"Great." Shawn with a roll of his eyes. "You could have knocked."

"We saw you two downstairs on the lawn and figured you had a breech of security we were trying to secure the victim." the man defended lightly.

"Brooks this is Agent Cena and Bryan." Shawn introduced. "Cena here used to work on the force before he got hand picked to train in Virginia."

"What kind of unprofessional assholes are you two?" Punk demanded.

"We were to pick up April." John Cena said to him. "I thought she'd recognize me. We went to high school together."

"It was dark." AJ admitted. "And you look different." She whispered still behind Punk.

"What do you mean pick her up?" Punk asked ignoring the interaction.

"This case is now being handled by the FBI and we're taking Ms. Mendez into protective custody." John told them.

"No way." Shawn laughed. "My case, my town, my job. You can't just waltz in here and take over."

"We can since Jake Miller was in a NY hospital and crossed state lines. It makes it an FBI case." Daniel Bryan told him.

"I don't want to leave home." AJ said to them.

"We're just taking you to a nearby hotel. Your home isn't safe." John said to her. "You'll have 24 hour security."

"So I stay locked up in a room until you get Jake? What if you never do?" AJ asked them.

"We'll get him." Daniel snorted and Punk narrowed his eyes at him.

"I don't want to go." AJ said firmly. "I trust the cops here."

"Can I talk to you in private?" John asked her.

"No." Punk and Shawn answered at the same time.

"What has the Jersey PD done for you?" John asked her bluntly. "They haven't been able to protect you before that's why we're taking over the case."

"Like hell you are." Shawn snorted reaching for his cellphone.

"Make all the calls you want Shawn it's not changing a thing." John warned him.

"We'll see about that." He said walking out of the room.

"I need to stay here in my home with my dog. I've felt felt perfectly safe every night." AJ said standing her ground.

"Where was your protection tonight when we got in here?" Daniel asked. "If we were Jake Miller you'd be dead."

"She's not going." Punk informed them. "If you want to stay and work the case that's great we can use extra hands but you're not moving her to a hotel if she doesn't want to go."

"I can't work the case if I don't know AJ is safe." John argued lightly. "You're a very smart girl AJ you know this has to be done."

"I'm not leaving my home." she said firmly folding her arms.

"This is ridiculous." Daniel announced.

"You're ridiculous." AJ shot at him. "Why did you scare me like that?" she asked him.

"You hit me with a bat." Daniel argued.

"You attacked me!" She yelled back.

"You attacked her?" Punk asked narrowing his eyes at him.

"I was trying to get her out of the closet." Daniel defended.

"We weren't sure if someone else was in the home and we didn't even know if it was you at first." John said to her. "We apologize."

"How about this? We stop arguing over this because we're wasting time. If you want to stay in your home fine." John said to them. "You can stay here but you will have 24 hour around the clock protection no more Jersey PD."

"They've been doing a fine job." AJ defended strongly. "I trust the people who have my back, I know them I don't know you guys."

"You know me." John pointed out with a grin.

"You were a senior when I was a freshmen I barely remember you." AJ remarked.

"There's no budging on it." John said to her. "Besides our guys don't have the record that some of your security detail has."

"Is that a shot at me?" Punk asked amused.

"I know all about Phil Brooks from Chicago." John said to him.

"I'm still a cop and I was never accused of not doing my job well." Punk pointed out.

"Yea you get the job done but not by the rules." John argued.

"I'll do whatever it is I have to do to keep people safe." Punk hissed taking a step towards him.

"She would have been dead tonight." John reminded him casually. "You were outside checking out the house while my partner and I were already inside and in her room."

"Just stop." AJ said stepping between the two. "I'll take your detail but I'm staying home. Also I want Phil and Shawn working this case. No one knows the case better than Shawn and I don't trust anyone more than I trust Phil." she informed John.

"We wanted to work together." John shrugged. "No problem."

"Can I have a minute?" AJ asked the two FBI agents.

"Sure." John said giving her a faint smile as he walked past her. His bearded partner Daniel passed her as well but he wasn't as warm or friendly as John was.

"What do you think?" AJ asked Punk as she closed the door.

"Having the FBI involved isn't a bad thing and I like that you'll have good security." Punk said to her.

"Why did they barge in here like that?" AJ asked him. "They scared the crap out of me."

"They thought something was going down." Punk frowned. "Nothing was but Shawn and I were both outside I have no idea how we missed them. As soon as I heard you screaming I was inside."

"I know." AJ assured him with a smile. "Can I trust them?"

"I don't know but I'll be here regardless and so will Shawn." Punk promised.

"Do you think after this madness is over we can go out?" she asked looking for distraction.

"Absolutely." Punk said almost proudly. "I'm going to take you into New York and to a real hockey game."

"That sounds nice." She smiled.

"We can also do that go-kart stuff you crazy kids out here like to do." He teased.

"Can I go to your place?" She asked him.

"Oh of course. It's bare and ugly but you'd pretty it right up." he replied smoothly and she blushed. "You blush so easily." he teased looking down at her.

"You'll still come around here right?" she asked hopefully coming back down to reality. "You're not just going to leave me here with them are you?"

"Fuck no." He laughed. "I don't know these guys. I'll be around- even if I have to sneak through your bedroom window."

"You don't think the FBI will catch you doing that?" she teased.

"Nah." He said with ease.

"I really want you." She whispered stepping closer to him.

"Don't do that." He groaned looking up at the ceiling.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Talk in that seductive voice, run your hands over me- I can't do this tonight especially with Feds in the house." he reminded her and she pouted. "I'll make it up to you."

"You better." she grinned.

"Trust me I don't like this anymore than you do." he whispered in case the feds were still around. "I want you on your bed and under me so bad I can taste it but your safety is priority."

"Can you give me a kiss?" she asked leaning up on her tiptoes.

"Yea I can do that." he laughed and leaned down to capture her lips as his hands pulled her against his body.

* * *

Punk made his way downstairs and heard Shawn and Daniel arguing in the living room while John poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Make yourself at home." Punk remarked sarcastically.

"It's going to be a long night." John shrugged simply. "How is she?"

"Shook up." Punk spat. "You couldn't have handled this with more finesse?"

"How long have you been fucking her?" John asked bluntly and casually. "You don't see that as a conflict?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Punk argued.

"I know." John said knowing. She called out for you twice but Shawn only once who she has known longer, she ran and hid behind you-"

"We're friendly." Punk defended. "I've been working this case with her for weeks."

"How friendly?" John asked sipping his coffee.

"Fuck you." Punk spat.

"It's an issues and a huge distraction you can't work this case." John told him.

"Nothing is going on." Punk lied with ease.

"I'm not stupid Brooks." John snorted. "And I'm not saying it's a bad thing AJ and you are adults and you've spent a lot nights locked up in this house alone together." he agreed. "I'm not even telling you that you can't date her or that I'll go to your superior all I'm saying is that it's a huge distraction and you know it and it's going to cost AJ her life."

"There's nothing going on but a small friendship." Punk told him coldly. "Mind your own fucking business and worry about keeping her safe and not who she may or may not be sleeping with."

"The task is to catch Jack Miller." John reminded him.

"No." Punk argued with a frustrated laugh. "The goal is to keep her safe. If that's not your priority get the fuck out and go back home to Virginia."

"This is what I'm talking about." John said shaking his head in disappointment.

"The job is to keep AJ safe. She's an innocent if we catch Jake in the process than it's a double win." Punk stated firmly.

"Of course." John said simply as he sipped his coffee and shot Punk a knowing smirk.

* * *

The next morning AJ woke up to find John and Daniel still there in their suits but Punk was also around thankfully.

"I have to go into the station." Punk whispered to her pulling her into the empty kitchen. "They're going to be here."

"Can't I go with you?" She asked him. "I don't know these guys."

"They're FBI and they'll keep you safe. Normally I'd take you with me but John already suspects something is going on between us. If he starts asking you anything about me-" Punk started.

"I'll tell him to go fuck himself." she said coldly.

"Thatta girl." he grinned. "Call me if you need me." he instructed and she nodded.

Once Punk was gone she walked into the living room and both John and Daniel stood up.

"I have to go to the pet store and get Charger his food." AJ told them as she put on her jacket.

"Great I'll drive." Daniel smiled at her.

"I call shotgun." John added and AJ rolled her eyes.

Once she was in the car she noticed they passed the pet store.

"You're not going the right way." AJ frowned. "You passed it."

Both ignored her as Daniel continued driving.

"Seriously stop the car!" she yelled. "You're scaring me!" she reached for her phone but John ripped it from her hands.

"We're taking you to safe place." John assured her.

"You can't do that!" she yelled. "Let me out right now!"

"We're not stopping." Daniel said looking back at her briefly.

"I don't want to go anywhere but home!" AJ yelled and tried to open her car door even though the car was moving but it was locked from the outside.

"We're not even taking you out of town." John told her calmly. "We need you in one safe place and your home is not safe. Jake Miller was there last night. That's what Shawn and Phil were looking for when we came in last night. You need to be in a place with the best protection."

"I was safe!" AJ argued. "Please just bring me back home."

"Your father is very worried about you. He's the one that tipped off the FBI." John told her.

"I forgot my dad and yours were friends." AJ sighed sitting back in her seat. "I have to make a call at least."

"Once we get to a safe place." John said to her.

"Do Shawn or Phil know about this?" AJ asked and both were silent. "What about my dog?"

"Your dog is fine and being taken care of." John said to her. "And the Detectives on the case will be notified when the time is right."

"They're not going to like it." AJ warned them. "I really think I should call them."

"They'll be notified." John said to her.

"Where is Charger going?" AJ asked.

"He's staying at pound-" he started.

"No!" AJ yelled so loud Daniel almost drove off the road. "Do NOT leave my dog there!"

"AJ please-" John started.

"I will scream the entire way there if you don't promise me right now-" she began.

"We'll have a friend of yours pick him up." John told her quickly.

"Do you really think a public hotel where people can walk in and out of is the wisest choice?" AJ asked them.

"No so you're not going there." Daniel said to her.

"Believe it or not we've done this before." John informed her smugly.

"You kidnap women often?" AJ asked annoyed.

"We're not kidnapping you." John said to her. "Your father-"

"My father isn't even my father!" AJ shouted. "I really want to talk to-"

"Detective Brooks?" John finished for her. "Do you realize the amount of danger you've put him in?"

"What are you talking about?" AJ frowned.

"You don't have to be an FBI agent to tell that you're fucking him." Daniel stated bluntly. "If we can tell don't you think Jake Miller can?"

"That's not true." AJ whispered.

"Look we don't care who you're sleeping with or dating." John assured her. "I have zero interest in getting Detective Brooks into trouble by reporting it or lecturing you because honestly I don't care. What I care about is keeping you safe, keeping Detective Brooks safe and catching Jake Miller in the process. This isn't just for your own good it's for his too so we'd appreciate your corporation."

"Does Phil need protection?" AJ asked him.

"Detective Brooks is a big boy." John said simply.

* * *

Punk arrived back at AJ's place at seven and was surprised when he spotted John Cena sitting on the couch alone.

"Where is she?" Punk asked.

"She's in a safe place." John said and Punk narrowed his eyes at him.

"Excuse me?" Punk asked with a laugh knowing he had misheard him.

"She's protected." John said simply.

"No fucking way!" Punk hissed pointing at him.

"I'm here waiting for Jake Miller. AJ is far away. It's a good plan one that you and Shawn should have done weeks ago." John said simply.

Punk grabbed John by his jacket and pulled him to his feet. John didn't flinch but Punk's face was red and his teeth were clenched.

"Tell me where you took her." he demanded.

"No." John said simply. "You're in danger now too."

"Oh fuck off!" Punk yelled shoving John onto the couch. "I promised I wouldn't leave her side! This has nothing to do with our relationship this has to do with me promising AJ to stand by her side and protect her and I plan on keeping my word."

"I know what you're thinking." John said with a frown. "This isn't like your sister-"

"Shut the fuck up." Punk warned him. "Don't talk about shit you don't know. This is about AJ not my sister or my fucked past. I want you to tell me where she is and I want you to tell me right fucking now or I swear I will kick in every single door, hotel room and motel room door that I come across until I find her."

"I'd be more than happy to place you under protection as well." John said to him.

"I don't need protection." Punk said to him.

"I beg to differ." John smirked. "I'm not telling you where she is. But she's safe."

"Where's Charger?" Punk asked looking around realizing he wasn't getting anything out of him.

"He's at the shelter." John said to him.

"AJ ok'd that?" Punk asked stunned but John remained silent. "Of course she didn't. Just like she didn't agree to go with you did she?" John again remained silent. "You fucking prick." he seethed.

"She's fine." John assured him.

"You dragged her the minute I left the house I bet!" Punk yelled and zipped his jacket up.

"You don't work in the house with me tonight?" John asked with a smirk.

"No I'm going to get Charger and take him home with me because AJ would want that." Punk said to him. "Then I'm going to find her so don't be surprised when you go back to the cheap motel you're hiding her in because a motel is much easier to hide a witness in. While Jake Miller will think you sprung for a swanky hotel and probably out of town but I know how predictable and cheap the fed's are."

Punk then stormed out of the house and John just shook his head in annoyance. Punk was going to screw this all up.


	5. Breaking Rules

**Breaking Rules**

* * *

AJ was in her motel room laying backwards on the bed watching TV a cheap small screen. She was waiting to get her phone back so she could call Punk but Agent Bryan wasn't having any of it.

"Aren't you hungry?" Daniel asked from the chair next to the door.

"There's no food." AJ pointed out not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"There's bags of food." Daniel said pointing to the table.

"It's candy bars and chips." She frowned. "That's not dinner that's a snack."

"Are you going to starve yourself until you get hot food?" Daniel questioned.

"That's a great idea." AJ grinned. "Or at least until I get my property back."

Someone knocked at the door and AJ turned off the TV and looked towards it.

"It's just John." Daniel said opening the door. "Oh no-" he started but Punk pushed through the door.

"Phil." She said with a relieved smile sitting up on her knees on the bed.

"Get out." Punk instructed him.

"You're not the boss of me." Daniel said narrowing his eyes at him.

"No I'm not but my boss has been on the phone with your boss for about an hour and he's not happy." Punk grinned smugly. "I think your phone will be going off any minute." on cue Bryan's phone went off.

"Don't bolt the door." Daniel warned him before walking outside but as soon as he did Punk locked and bolted the door.

"Phil!" she squealed jumping off of the bed and jumping into his arms with ease.

"You ok?" He asked holding her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face in his neck.

"Now I am." She said to him. "I didn't want to come here and I tried to call you." she told him.

"I know." He said to her.

"And Charger!" she shouted.

"He's at my place I picked him up before I got the location of where you were." He said carrying her to the bed and placing her down.

"Thank you." She said relieved. "They kidnapped me Phil."

"Yea I know." He said sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. "But it is safe."

"I hate it here and I hate them." She argued. "They're feeding me crap, they won't give me my phone back-"

"Your dad alerted the FBI. This is what he wants." Punk informed her. "There's no way out of this."

"I don't care what he wants." she complained. "Since when does he even care?"

"I don't like how they went about it but this is the safest place for you." he said to her.

"John told me you weren't safe." AJ informed him. "The only reason I didn't put up a fight is because he told me-"

"He's a fucking moron." Punk said cutting her off.

"He said Jake had been to my house what if he saw us that night?" she asked him.

"So?" Punk asked her.

"What he did to my mother who he felt was an obstacle- not that I think we're serious or even dating but-" she started.

"Whether we slept together or not I was always an obstacle to him." Punk said to her. "John is going to be at your place tonight so I'm going to be here with you."

"Is that ok with Agent Bryan?" she asked him.

"Do I look like the type of guy who cares if something is 'ok' or not?" He asked with a laugh as he took his jacket off.

"I'm starving they're trying to starve me." She pouted cutely at him as she crawled over to him.

"Those bastards." He teased. "Want me to get you real food?"

"No he might move me or won't let you back in." She said fearfully.

"Are you really doubting my Detective skills?" He scoffed. "I'd find you."

"Thank you for keeping your word." she whispered against his ear and kissed his cheek sweetly.

"I wouldn't break my promise." He whispered back and kissed her.

Punk cupped her cheek with his one large hand and deepened the kiss. AJ pushed him so he was laying on the bed and crawled over him and kissed him deeply. His hands wandered down her back until one hand slipped under t-shirt and the other slipped under her jeans and cupped her rear.

"Is this a good idea?" She asked pulling away. "Daniel is outside."

"He's not coming back in here right now." He assured her as he swiftly pulled her t-shirt over her head.

"I need clothes." she said between kissed.

"Actually you need less." He muttered against her as his fingers played with her jeans causing her to giggle against his lips.

"I meant to change into." she laughed. "If they plan on keeping me here."

"I'll pick up some of your clothes." he assured her silencing her with a kiss.

"Hey!" Daniel yelled banging at the door. "Open the door!"

"Stop causing a scene and drawing attention to the room!" Punk yelled back. "Watch the door!"

"Oh fuck you." he heard Daniel say but it seemed to work.

AJ pulled his shirt off of him next and stood up as she unbuckled her belt and tugged him up with a hard pull to it. Punk cupped her face again and kissed her roughly as he began to remove her jeans now. AJ just couldn't help but run her hands over his colorful chest as her tongue wrestled his and without parting her lips she kicked her jeans off the rest of the way. Punk's hands were already on another mission to her bra and he unclasped with a snap of his fingers.

"You're good at that." She noted surprised pulling away.

"I've got a lot of hidden talents." He warned her as he lifted her and again dropped her in the middle of the bed.

The only thing AJ had on was her thin underwear and he was already thinking of ways he was going to take them off. He kissed her lips again and then down her throat as she began to fidget with anticipation underneath him. He kissed straight down her stomach until he reached the top of her panties. His hands cupped both her cheeks causing her to jerk up into his face where he buried it in-between her thighs over her red lace garment. She was already moaning and he hadn't even touched her yet. He nipped over the thin material before finally freeing her of them.

Punk looked up at her and watched as she bit her lip and left a wet kiss right on top of her. AJ could feel how wet she was becoming and it was barely starting. He kissed a little further and gave her lips a rough lick causing her to cry out. He pushed her legs further apart and spread her lips with his fingers and that's when she couldn't look anymore even though he was still looking up at her face. His tongue slipped in-between her folds and it was extraordinary. Punk's tongue moved expertly in her body and AJ was thrashing at the touch, she knew it wouldn't be long. Punk's long digit was inside of her now while his mouth massaged her most sensitive area until she came, which she did- hard.

Punk followed the trail that his lips and tongue left when he ventured down to the holy land and kissed all the way back up. Punk leaned into his kiss her but she was very hesitant and jerked her head away cutely. He frowned and tried to kiss her again and he rolled his eyes.

"The other night this wasn't a problem." He noted amused by her sudden shyness.

"You weren't so in there." she blushed.

Punk frowned then licked his tongue over her tightly closed lips and he knew she would give in which she did. Her lips parted only sightly and granted him the access he was seeking. As he kissed her his jean covered groin rubbed against her still aching area. AJ had to admit the taste of herself on him was very arousing and it seemed to really turn him on. She would do anything to keep him happy and sexually satisfied.

"The things you do to me." She moaned as he moved away briefly to discard his jeans and boxers. "I was thinking about this all day."

"Oh yea?" He asked cockily.

"Yes." she whispered lustfully.

Punk was free of all of his clothes and AJ grabbed the condom from his hand and sat up and stroked him. He watched her as she took his tip into his mouth than slowly took all of him into his mouth and he was twitching inside of her. He wanted her to do this all night to him but they'd have plenty of time for that, he'd make sure of it. She released him with a pop and rolled the condom onto him and then moved up bed and laid her against the pillow. She was like a human sacrifice.

"You have no idea..." he trailed off studying her body that he didn't get to appreciate fully since it was so dark the first time they did this. "...how beautiful you really are."

"I was going to say the same thing." She grinned.

"I'm beautiful?" he asked with a laugh as he hovered over her body and teased her lips with his head.

"So beautiful." She gushed causing him to laugh.

"It's the beard isn't it?" he teased.

"It's the soul." She said placing her hand in the center of his chest. No one had ever said anything to him like that before and if they had he didn't believe it. He pushed into her fully and her fists gripped either side of the comforter as Punk's arms moved over her head and gripped the cheap headboard.

Punk was a little hesitant because he wasn't sure how much she could really take but she squirmed and nodded at him to do it. He pulled out of her almost completely then used the head board as leverage to push into her as hard as he could and though it must have caused some pain she seemed to be enjoying it.

"Again." She begged. "Do it." She pleaded.

Punk repeated his motions as AJ spread herself further for him and cried out so loud that he knew if Daniel was outside the door he was hearing all of it. But Daniel was the furthers thing from him mind as he had the most beautiful woman he had ever met with him in bed. He'd love to say he had her right where he wanted her but she was a different animal. He'd literally do anything for this woman he didn't even know existed a month ago. She had him wrapped around his fingers and he didn't even care.

"You ok?" he grunted out.

"Yes." She moaned out.

Punk dropped off the headboard and lifted her leg over his shoulder and changed his position slightly hitting into her g-spot- his new favorite spot actually. Her eyes were rolling, tears were falling, her nails were now dug into his shoulder as he found her sweet, sweet spot.

"Christ Phil." she cried.

"I knew I'd find it." He grinned smugly as he smacked into her until she came.

The minute she released he dropped her leg and finished off inside of her. AJ's entire body was numb as Punk rolled onto his back next to her and tried to catch his own breath. Both were looking up at the ceiling until she finally turned to look at him.

"Hi." She greeted shyly.

"Hi?" he asked with a laugh.

"It's all I can muster." she grinned stretching. "Stay with me tonight?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else." he assured her.

* * *

Punk never did let Daniel back in but he stopped trying. When Punk checked the door during the night he saw Daniel in his car parked drinking coffee and mockingly raising his coffee cup to Punk in victory. At around nine Punk was already in the shower when AJ jumped in and joined him. He couldn't wait for this Jake Miller mess to be over so he could do this every morning with her and they didn't have to sneak around.

"I need clothes." She frowned as she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in only a towel. "Mine from yesterday are dirty."

"I'll pick you up some." he said to her as he laced his sneakers. "And proper food."

"You'll go home to check on Charger first though, right?" she asked him.

"Yes I'll go home and check to make sure Charger didn't eat my couch." he mocked. "Do not let these guys take you anywhere else."

"They won't even give me my phone back." she said annoyed.

"Here." He said reaching for his phone. "Take mine and if you need me call Shawn."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yea just take it. I'd rather you have the phone than me." he said to her.

"Hey open up!" the voice John shouted from the other side of the door.

AJ quickly grabbed her shirt and jeans and ran into the bathroom so Punk could let him in.

"Morning." Punk greeted sarcastically.

"I brought over some of AJ's things." John said putting the bag on the bed.

"You went through her clothes?" Punk asked him.

"Relax Romeo." John said annoyed. "Have a good night?"

"I guarded." Punk defended. "That's my job."

"Right." John laughed leaning over and picking something off the floor and it was AJ's red lace underwear. Punk snatched it out of his hand and glared at him.

"Give her back her phone." Punk demanded.

"The point of me taking her phone was so she wouldn't contact you so I guess she could have it back." John said passing Punk AJ's phone.

"Be honest are you going to move her again?" Punk asked.

"No. I wanted to by my boss doesn't think that's a good idea." John said to him. "Don't worry I kept your indiscretion out of it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Punk shrugged innocently.

"There's a crazed man after her." John reminded him. "Get your head out of her pussy and back on the case."

Punk narrowed his eyes at the man and took a step towards him.

"Fresh clothes great." AJ cheered stepping out in the clothes from last night. "Thanks John." She said but Punk and John were both still eye to eye.

"Can I have some privacy while I change?" She asked John.

"Sure thing." John said to her. "I have food in the car for you too."

"Great thanks so much." She said pushing him out the door.

"I do not like him." Punk said pointing at the door. "Here." he said passing AJ back her phone and panties.

"Thanks and here's yours back." she said giving him back his phone.

"I really have to get to the station. I'll be back tonight." Punk said to her and she smiled.

"Can you catch this guy so I can go back home?" she asked him.

"Believe me I'm trying." he said almost sadly.

"I know." She smiled and leaned up and kissed him goodbye. "Be careful."

"You be careful." Punk countered. "If they give you a hard time or try to do something fucking stupid like move you again call me right away."

"I will." She promised.

* * *

Punk stopped at home first just like he promised AJ he would do and there was no Charger.

"Charge!" Punk whistled and clapped his hands but the dog didn't run towards him. He frowned as he looked around his small living area than walked into his room and still not Charger.

Punk heard a noise from the bathroom and when he pushed the door open he saw Charger laying in the bathtub crying and bleeding.

"Fuck!" He yelled out racing to the dog. He wasn't sure what happened to him but he was relieved he was alive and not just for AJ's sake but Punk had really taken to the dog. He looked towards his bathroom and read writing that he presumed was in the dog's blood. ' _You're next_ '.

Punk wasn't even fazed by the messages as he lifted the heavy dog into his arms and carried him out of the bathroom and out the front door. He had to get Charger to the vet and thankfully he knew exactly where to take him thanks to taking him with AJ a few weeks back. In the car he informed Shawn who was heading over to his place as he waited on word from the vet on how Charger was doing.

Punk felt like he was waiting for hours and he was beginning to sweat. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain this to AJ or even he bosses but Charger was such a good dog he was hoping that he would just pull through. When the vet finally came out Punk jumped out of his seat.

"He's going to be fine." the vet assured him. "He wasn't stabbed but rather sliced."

"Sliced?" Punk asked and she nodded.

"Big knife. Poor Charger was in shock as well. He's going to be ok. He's bandaged and has cone so he can't pick at it while he heals but he will heal." she assured him.

"That's great." Punk said relieved.

"Do you want to see him?" she asked him. "I'm sure AJ wouldn't want him to be alone."

"Um yea." Punk said reluctantly as he followed her into the small room. "Are you sure he's ok?"

"Yes." She chuckled.

"Hey Charge." Punk greeted petting the top of his head. "Sorry about this. Is he in pain?" he asked the vet.

"Minimal." The vet assured him. "I'm pretty sure he was given a sedative."

"Phil?" AJ asked stepping into the room.

"AJ." He said standing up and she rushed into his seat and looked over her dog.

"Oh, Charger." She cried kissing his head.

"He's fine AJ." the friendly vet told her.

"Is he really?" She sniffled.

"Yes thanks to Detective Brooks for getting him here so quickly." She told her.

"So it just happened?" Punk asked the vet.

"Yea I'd say maybe less than an hour before you brought him in." the vet said to him.

"I missed him by an hour." Punk muttered under his breath.

"I'll be right back." The vet said excusing herself.

"Thank you for bringing him in." AJ said unable to take her eyes off of her dog.

"No sweet." Punk said to her. "Sorry I didn't stop it."

"No one can stop him." AJ whispered petting Charger behind his ear just the way he liked.

"I'm going to." Punk said without hesitation. "Who brought you here?"

"John." AJ told him. "He's right outside. Shawn came by and told me about Charger and I had to get here. I'm so sorry boy." she cried to her dog.

"He's fine." Punk reminded her.

"He hurt him." AJ argued lightly shaking her head. "He tried-"

"I know it brings back scary memories." Punk said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What if you were home?" She asked him.

"Then this would have all be over with." Punk said to her.

"John told me he threatened you." AJ said looking up at him. "I won't let you end up like her."

"Like who?" he asked.

"The last person who promised to protect me and kept their word, then died doing so." AJ said to him. "We should just keep her space-"  
"I'm not going anywhere." He said to her. "I see everything through. Don't let John scare you." he said disgusted.

"Do you think they'd let me stay here with him tonight?" AJ asked him.

"No I don't." Punk said softly. "He's going to be fine and you need to be far away and safe."

"John had an idea." AJ started as she turned to give Punk her full attention. "He thinks I could help lure-"

"Stop right there." Punk said holding his hand up. "No. Shawn first of all will never go for that and neither am I. There's nothing worse than baiting a psychopath."

"Shawn already said no but it's not up to him." AJ said to him.

"So what are they going to do? Put you out in the middle of the road and paint a bright red target on your back?" Punk asked her. "Their job is to keep him away from you. This guy isn't hurting anyone there's no reason to rush him out."

"He hurt Charger." AJ said choking on a sob.

"He's fine." Punk reminded her.

"But John said that you'd be better off if I would just-" AJ didn't even finish her sentence because Punk stormed out of the room and into the waiting area. John was standing there with Shawn and Punk shoved John back that he fell into a chair.

"What the hell are you doing?" John demanded standing right back up.

"Don't you dare guilt her into dangling herself in front of this guy." Punk warned him. "And don't ever use me to do it again."

"I told him no." Shawn said trying to calm Punk.

"She's thinking about it!" Punk yelled. "You told her I'd be better off? Fuck you!"

"Relax there Detective and remember who in the hell you're speaking to." John warned him.

"Your job is to keep her away from him not push her to him. This guy is smart and quick and the second he's close enough she's fucking dead." Punk ranted. "And you and your buddy aren't smart or quick enough to keep her safe."

"You're the one who wanted to pursue a relationship with her." John reminded him.

"It's not a relationship it's fooling around!" Punk shouted and Shawn seemed uncomfortable. "I'm not marrying the girl we're just being there for each other!"

"Well Jake Miller doesn't see it that way!" John yelled back.

"Fuck Jake Miller! And fuck you!" Punk shouted.

"If it's just fooling around than why are you so bent out of shape?" John quizzed.

"None of this is your business." Shawn informed John. "Baiting this guy isn't going to work we need to wait him out. I've studied this guy for years I know him you don't. You need to take a backseat to this investigation because so far shit has hit the fan since you got into town."

"The vet is going to keep Charger." AJ announced walking over to them. "At least until this blows over. He'll be safe here."

"Good." Shawn grinned. "Dinner at my place? Cheryl set a place for you."

"No I should just go back to the motel." AJ said to them.

"I have a few things to do." John announced. "Bryan and I have to check in with our boss so maybe Detective Brooks could escort you back to the motel and stay with you until we get back?" it was a peace offering because clearly AJ was in crumbling. All today had done was bring back horrible memories.

"Let's go." Punk said placing his hand on her lower back and guiding her out of the vets office.

"You did the right thing." Shawn said to him.

"It's going to get them both killed." John informed him shaking his head then walking off himself.

* * *

Back at the Motel AJ was laying in the bed as Punk showered off Charger's blood. When he came out she was clearly upset and crying.

"Maybe you should go." she said to him.

"I'm not going." Punk said simply as he climbed into the bed behind her.

"All I've done since you met me is cry." AJ reminded him.

"You laughed a lot too." Punk said draping his arm loosely over her and laid behind her still.

"I'm so scared." She admitted stifling a cry. "I was just over it. I was just moving on. I was going to let myself be happy finally. I was going to publish a book and now I'm hiding in a seedy motel waiting to die."

"You're not going to die." Punk said to her. "You're going to be happy and publish your book. He's so close AJ I can taste it."

"If anyone else gets hurt because of me-" She warned rolling onto her back as he remained on his side and looked down at her.

"No one is getting hurt." Punk told her.

"I barely know this man." AJ sniffled. "He was my teacher for two weeks and I used to think he was kind of cute." She snorted shaking her head. "The first few days I felt so special that he was always looking at me."

"That's natural." Punk reasoned.

"This complete stranger killed my mother in front of me." She pointed out. "He took away the only person in my life that I loved and I had to watch and I still don't understand why."

"Because there is no right reason as to why." Punk sighed sadly. "He's just a criminal. When my sister died I had the same feeling."

"You never talk about her." AJ said eyeing him curiously as he used his thumb to brush away her tears.

"It hurts." Punk admitted. "I'm not as brave as you are. A police shrink told me I had survivors remorse I think you have that too."

"Maybe." She agreed.

"Just because you lived doesn't mean it was a mistake and it doesn't mean you can throw your life away. Don't stay in bed cry get up and live." he said sweetly.

"Did you cry?" she asked him.

"I did." He said sadly. "A lot. You'll learn this about me but I'm pretty emotional actually. It's ok to cry but don't forget to get back up and fight also try to remember the amount of people you have backing you. Shawn and his family, you have a small army of friend, the entire town." he laughed causing her to smile. "Me if that matters."

"It matters." She said to softly. "I've never had someone who knew what I was going through like you do. You just get me. Promise that no matter what happens we'll stay friends?"

"Promise." He smirked. "Besides I haven't even gotten through half of your comic collection and we still have an unfinished Monopoly game." he teased.

"Are you going to sleep?" She asked resting under his arm.

"No I'm going to police." He smirked. "But you can sleep because I'm not leaving tonight."

"Good." She yawned curling into his fully clothed body and drifting off into sleep...


	6. Daddy Dearest

**Daddy Dearest**

* * *

AJ woke up the next morning in bed and stretched as she yawned. She looked over and saw Punk was still there but standing up by the window looking out of it. She sat up as she rubbed her eyes on the dreary rainy day.

"Have you been there all night?" she asked causing him to turn and look at her.

"Yea." He said in a sleepy voice. He walked over to the table and poured her a cup of coffee and passed it to her.

"Thank you." She said happily taking the hot beverage on the cold day.

"John and Agent Bryan have been parked outside all night too." Punk said to her.

"I feel safer already." She remarked sarcastically.

"You want to come hang out at the station with me today?" He offered and her eyes lit up. "I'm sure sitting in this motel room is driving you crazy and there's nowhere safer than there."

"Yes." She said relieved. "Maybe I can talk Shawn into taking me to see Charger too."

"I spoke to the vet already this morning and he's doing much better." Punk assured her.

"Wow." AJ said slightly taken back.

"What?" he asked with a smirk.

"It's just weird to have someone helping me out with things." she noted.

"When your mom died what did you do?" Punk asked her bluntly. "You weren't 18 so where did you stay?"

"Home." She said simply.

"Alone?" Punk asked.

"My dad told the social workers that he'd be with me and they never came back to check in. He knew I wanted to stay there and knew he couldn't stay. No one reported it or said anything it was kind of like a don't ask don't tell sort of thing." She shrugged drinking her coffee.

"So you lived by yourself?" He asked again.

"Yea." she said as if it was nothing.

"Taking care of a house, taking care of yourself, graduating from high school and college it must not have been easy that's all." Punk said to her.

"Oh it wasn't that bad. Cheryl was always around and the people in town always helped me out." she said to him. "And my dad paying for everything helped."

"I'm sure it did." He said sipping his own coffee.

"I wasn't spoiled." She laughed.

"Trust me I don't think you were spoiled." He assured her quickly.

"I bet you've been working since you could." She noted.

"Since I was 14." He said proudly. "I started with being a paperboy, a delivery boy, I worked in every fast food place near my house, I worked for some more questionable people and ended up joining the police force."

"Don't you ever get tired?" She teased.

"No." he said to her. "I get restless. I like working. I like my job."

"You don't love it?" she asked him.

"I used to." he admitted.

"When you were in Chicago and running around after criminals everyday?" she asked him.

"Chicago was different than here." He admitted. "After everything that went down I feel like a lot of my brothers in blue turned their back on me."

"Well maybe it was meant to be." She shrugged. "If you didn't get transferred here maybe Jake would have killed me by now."

"You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for." He informed her. "I'm glad I'm here."

"Are you?" she asked unsurely.

"I like everyone here not counting the feds." he smirked. "You, Shawn, the people in this town are pretty great."

"You think I'm great?" she teased.

"I believe I said _pretty_ great." he clarified with a grin.

"Pretty and great?" She smirked. "I sound awesome."

"You are awesome." he confirmed as she got off the bed and placed her coffee down.

"If John and Daniel are outside..." she trailed off wrapping her arms around his waist. "You don't have to watch the door like a hawk."

"I do like to start my mornings off with a little something extra." he noted seriously as he played along as he leaned down to kiss her.

"If you're too tired-" She began as she pulled away.

"I'm never too tired." he scoffed as he lifted her into his arms, something he loved doing. Her warm beautiful body wrapped around his was becoming his favorite thing.

"I'm not tired at all." She practically warned him and he arched a brow as he lowered onto the bed then captured her lips.

"Hello." A voice greeted and Punk was off of AJ and reaching for his gun he left on the table.

"Daddy." AJ greeted as her father stood in the doorway.

"Hi angel." He smiled and she ran over and gave him a hug. "Detective Brooks is this how you protect my daughter?"

"He's been keeping me very safe." She assured him and her father just nodded.

"How old are you?" Robert Mendez asked Punk.

"Daddy." AJ warned.

"I just want to know how old my daughter's boyfriend is." Robert chuckled while Punk remained quiet. "Is he closer to your age or closer to Jake Miller's age..."

"Do you even know your daughter's age?" Punk asked him seriously.

"We're just friends." AJ told her father. "Tell him Phil."

"Yea friends." Punk agreed.

"You do that with all of your friends?" Robert asked him.

"Why are you here?" AJ asked him.

"I came to check in on you." Robert smiled. "I wanted to see how the police were doing catching Jake, I can see the police have been rather busy with other things." he said glaring at Punk.

"FBI has taken over." Punk responded before AJ. "Heard you might know something about that."

"I wanted my daughter in the best hands possible." Robert said sternly. "I made the right choice I can see."

"I'm in very good hands." AJ assured her father.

"Sure." Robert smiled at her. "I'm going down to the police station Detective Brooks and I was told I'd be meeting with you, will you be there or will you be here canoodling with my daughter?"

"I'll be there." Punk forced out as nicely as possible.

"I'll be there too." AJ added.

"Good because I want to catch up before I fly out tonight." Robert said squeezing her shoulder.

"You're leaving today?" She asked.

"Yea I have work to do." Robert said to her. "I'll see you later angel." he said kissing the top of her head. "Detective Brooks." he stated coldly he then turned and left the room.

"He's just weird like that." AJ said to Punk.

"He doesn't bother me." Punk shrugged. "I just don't know where he gets his nerve. He shows up when he wants to and doesn't stick around."

"I know that." AJ said knowingly. "Believe me I know."

"I guess you should get ready." He said to her as he checked his phone.

"Yea." he heard her say when he looked up she was freely stripping of her clothes.

"AJ." He warned. "Your father is waiting."

"I'm just getting changed." she smiled innocently as she stood in just her panties before him. "I bet we have some time before-"

AJ was already on the bed with Punk on top of her...

* * *

At the police station AJ waited at Shawn's desk while he, Punk, John, Bryan and her father were in a conference room discussing Jake Miller.

"I don't understand this town is small how have there been no leads?" Mr. Mendez asked the four of them.

"Jake Miller is smart." Shawn reminded Robert.

"So you're saying Jake Miller is smarter than a senior Detective, two FBI agents and a street thug?" Robert asked him.

"What did you call me?" Punk asked annoyed.

"You're the closest thing to a criminal in this room why don't you just think like him?" Robert suggested to Punk.

"Enough." Shawn warned Robert before Punk could rip his head off.

"Were you aware of Detective Brooks relationship with my daughter?" Robert asked Shawn.

"Their friendship?" Shawn asked innocently. "I knew about that."

"He's sleeping with her." Robert informed him and Punk rolled his eyes. "What about you two?" he asked the FBI agents.

"We don't pry." John forced out.

"I need someone with my daughter who is going to protect her not try to think of ways to get her pants off." Robert told them.

"With all due respect Mr. Mendez, your daughter personally requested Detective Brooks." John informed Robert.

"Well of course she did." Robert laughed.

"He's good at his job and he's dedicated to protecting your daughter." Shawn insisted.

"He's dedicated to getting his dick wet." Robert corrected.

"I've known your daughter for a few months and I'm more dedicated to her safety and well being than you have ever been." Punk informed him coldly. "Everyone in this room is more dedicated to her than you."

"Just because I'm not here doesn't mean I don't care. That is why I'm here right now." Robert shot at him.

"Your daughter has insisted on Detective's Michaels and Brooks working on this case and with her." John interjected. "We want to make sure she's comfortable."

"Can I have a the room with Detective Brooks?" Robert asked them.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shawn chuckled nervously.

"I wasn't asking." Mr. Mendez ordered.

"It's fine." Punk told Shawn.

"Lets go grab some coffee." John said to Daniel as they stood up.

"I'll be right outside the door." Shawn told Punk before he left.

"I don't know what is going on between you and my little girl." Robert began.

"Do you know anything that goes on with your daughter in general?" Punk asked folding his arms.

"I know there's a deranged lunatic looking to hurt her." Robert said to him. "I can not have a security guard more interested in getting laid than keeping my daughter safe in charge of watching her."

"First of all I'm a cop." Punk corrected. "Second of all I'm not more interest in that."

"I know what you make." Robert scoffed. "Cops make shit money you see a rich girl who is vulnerable and naive-"

"You didn't do your homework on me I see." Punk laughed.

"I've heard of you. I know about Chicago." Robert said to him.

"If you looked further back and weren't so distracted by the last thing I did you'd know I have more than enough money probably more money than even you have had." Punk remarked smugly. "Also AJ isn't vulnerable or naive. You'd know that if you took half an interest in her. I'm an adult Mr. Mendez, your daughter is an adult as well what we do privately is our business and our business alone."

"So you're rich and work?" Robert asked.

"I like working." Punk said to him. "I like my job. Also AJ is a little past the age of having her sometimes around father police who she can be friends with."

"Friends?" Robert asked him.

"Friends." Punk confirmed and he just nodded. "I promise you that I would lay my life down to protect your daughter. I can't say the Fed's you dragged into this would. That's why AJ wants me around it's not for any other reason."

"I know what you must think of me." Robert said in a softer voice. "What Shawn thinks every time I pop in. You think I don't care about April."

"Never said that." Punk said to him.

"I love my daughter but I made a deal with my ex-wife that once I left I'd stay gone." Robert told him. "She didn't want April living half here, half in LA. She thought LA was too dangerous for April, can you believe that?" he asked with a laugh.

"Why didn't you fight for her?" Punk asked.

"Because my wife wasn't wrong. I got re-married and had children." Robert said to him. "I love April but her life is here and mine is in Los Angeles."

"It's not my business." Punk said holding his hand up. "Just like what AJ does in her personal life is her business."

"The point is no matter how far away we are, how often I'm around doesn't change the fact that I want her safe." Robert told him.

"And she's going to stay that way." Punk assured him.

"You told me you'd lay your life down for her." Robert pointed out.

"I did." Punk confirmed.

"I expect you to keep your word." Robert said standing up.

* * *

Outside AJ was sitting with Shawn when Punk and Robert walked over to them.

"Everything ok?" AJ asked.

"No. Jake Miller is still out there." Robert said firmly. "I have an hour before I have to head to the airport let's go eat." He said to AJ.

"Ok." She said happily.

"You too Detective Brooks." Robert said surprising him. "You're my daughter's protection detail I expect you to join. I'd love to get to know April's friend better. Excuse me." he said walking over to John.

"You don't have to come." AJ whispered to Punk.

"Nah it's fine I'll go." Punk said to her.

"I warned you." Shawn said sitting at his desk.

"No you didn't." Punk hissed.

"Really you don't have to go." AJ assured him. "He's just trying to intimidate you."

"Oh boy." Shawn sighed shaking his head.

"That won't work." Punk snorted. "It's just a dinner."

"Ok." AJ said with a forced smile. "Let me talk to him."

"So how did Mr. Mendez figure it out?" Shawn asked him.

"He had a key to AJ's room." Punk told him honestly and Shawn cringed.

"A daddy walking in on his baby girl grinding up against...well you." Shawn said laughing. "Awkward."

"We weren't grinding." Punk huffed.

"He must have seen something." Shawn whistled. "Anyway enjoy your uncomfortable dinner." he laughed getting out of his chair.

"Where are you going?" Punk asked.

"We've been getting a lot of tips. Most of them have proven nothing but I still want to check every single one." Shawn told him as he grabbed his jacket.

"Wait an hour and I'll go with you." Punk said to him.

"They've all been dead tips." Shawn reminded him. "We don't need two of us. Besides you have bigger things to worry about." He teased.

"I'm not worried about Robert Mendez." Punk scoffed. "Asshole lawyers never scared me before."

"He's not an asshole lawyer, well he is but he's also the father of the woman you're rolling around in bed with." Shawn pointed out laughing. "Dinner with the girlfriends daddy."

"She's not my girlfriend." Punk defended. "She's a friend and what's wrong with two people who are both unattached looking to keep company some nights?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing." Shawn said to him with a chuckle. "Enjoy your dinner."

* * *

At the dinner Robert took AJ and Punk to the only fancy restaurant in town which still wasn't a five star restaurant but it was the most expensive place in town.

"How are your studies April?" Robert asked her as they sat in awkward silence.

"I graduated last year." AJ informed him nicely.

"Of course you did." He smiled and Punk tried to not roll his eyes. "What have you been doing? Are you working?"

"I'm writing." AJ said to him. "My laptop got stolen so all my writing is gone."

"Your laptop was stolen?" Robert asked concerned.

"By Jake Miller." Punk added and Robert nodded.

"You should have called I'll get you another one." Robert said brushing it off.

"I don't need another one. I need my old one." AJ said to him.

"But just take a new one to hold you over at least?" Robert asked as Punk watched the man try to buy his way to AJ's heart.

"I don't want it." AJ said annoyed and Robert hushed.

"So Detective Brooks how are you liking New Jersey?" Robert asked changing the subject.

"It's fine." Punk forced out.

"How long have two been dating?" Robert asked them and AJ rolled her eyes.

"We're friends." AJ clarified again. "How could I do anything since I'm locked up inside every night."

"April it's going to be very difficult to find a man who respects you if you...you know..." he trailed off.

"Sleep with him?" AJ asked making Robert cringe. "I kind of bullied him into it actually." She said happily and Punk just looked down at his food.

"April-" Robert warned.

"I'm in my twenties." AJ reminded her father. "I like to have fun and I like sex." she announced and Punk was ready to crawl under the table. "Sex doesn't mean you're in a relationship."

"You know better." Robert scolded. "What would your mother think?"

"As long as I was safe she was very supportive of my decisions." AJ told him.

"You were only 17 April." Robert scolded again. "Maybe it's behavior like this that brought on the attention of a man like Jake Miller."

"Woah." Punk said interjecting finally. "Don't blame her for that."

"This is between my daughter and myself." Robert reminded him.

"I won't let you blame her for some sick teacher's fantasies." Punk said firmly. "If you don't like the choices AJ has made maybe you should have stuck around. She's an adult and has been taking care of herself for years. I think she turned out great."

"Of course you do." Robert said disgusted. "Who would complain about a beautiful young lady who acts the way she does?"

"I want to go." AJ said looking at Punk. "Can you take me back to the motel?"

"Don't be rude April we're eating." Robert warned her.

"Yea let's go." Punk said standing up and grabbing AJ's jacket for her so she can slide into it.

"We don't get a lot of time together April." Robert reminded her.

"And whose fault is that?" AJ snapped. "Don't come back here and don't stick your nose into my life anymore."

"Dinner was great." Punk remarked sarcastically then followed AJ out.

* * *

"I'm not a slut." AJ said as she stormed into her motel room.

"I never said that or thought you were." Punk said following her inside and locking the door behind him.

"I was just trying to piss him off." AJ said to him. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Nope I was fine." He lied with a laugh. "And I think it worked."

"Good." she said throwing her jacket off.

"You shouldn't let him bother you." Punk suggested.

"You don't get it." She whispered.

"Come on he's leaving now." Punk said to her.

"He makes me feel cheap." AJ admitted. "Like he doesn't acknowledge I'm his daughter because I'm this poor girl from New Jersey."

"That's his loss." he said simply.

AJ was sitting on the edge of the bed as Punk stood before her and frowned at her.

"Thanks for coming tonight." She said with a faint smile.

"You're welcome." he smirked. "Dinner was pretty good. I mean for a place out here."

"Still can't find a solid food place?" She teased.

"I'm partial to your cooking actually." He grinned.

"Yea?" she asked as her hands moved to his belt.

"AJ this isn't a good idea." He said but made no move to stop her. "I'm the only one here."

"Is the door locked?" she asked him.

"Yea but-" he started as she tugged his jeans and boxers down slightly so he could spring free. "-I need to be alert."

"Ok." She said simply looking up at him but her hands began to stroke him.

"This is the kind of thing everyone is worried about." Punk pointed out.

"You really want me to stop?" She asked him then placed her mouth just over his tip.

"Oh fuck sake AJ." he groaned.

AJ took him deeper into her mouth as her hands cupped his ass. Punk was now at her mercy and he moved to sit on the bed and she laid across his lap as she blew him. He grabbed her hair and held it away from her face as her mouth and hands worked him.

"That's so fucking good." he groaned.

Punk released her hair and ran his hand down her back until he reached the bottom of her dress and placed his hand underneath the skirt. AJ moaned onto him as his fingers began to tease her under her dress. His free hand moved back to her hair so he could watch her suck him.

"That's it AJ." he groaned.

Punk began to thrust his hips into her mouth slightly as he felt his release rapidly approaching. There was a loud bang at the door that AJ clearly didn't hear because she didn't slow down.

"Stop." He said pulling his hand out of her dress and she her face off of his lap.

"Open up it's Daniel!" Agent Bryan shouted. "We've got a problem open!" he yelled banging again.

"I'm coming!" Punk yelled quickly pulling his jeans up and trying to hide his erection.

AJ sat up and adjusted her dress as Punk opened the door for the FBI agent.

"You need to get over to the hospital." Agent Bryan told Punk.

"What happened?" Punk asked.

"Your partner got stabbed." Daniel told him.

"Shawn?" AJ asked alarmed jumping up. "Is he ok?"

"He's in surgery but you should get there." Daniel told him. "It happened at April's house."

"It was Jake." AJ said horrified. "Let me get my jacket-"

"No you're staying here." Daniel ordered her. "He'll expect you there. I'll stay here with you."

"I should be with Shawn." AJ argued.

"No stay." Punk said grabbing his phone and gun. "You're safer here. I'll call you with an update."

"But-" She started.

"Please?" He asked her.

"Ok." She said giving in. "Please call me as soon as you get there?"

"I will. Keep the door locked." Punk instructed and she nodded. "And you." He warned looking at Daniel now. "Watch her like a hawk."

"No problem Detective." he remarked with a roll of his eyes.

* * *

When Punk arrived at the hospital Cheryl was already there with a lot of other uniformed officers.

"Oh Phil." Cheryl cried throwing her arms around him.

"How is he?" Punk asked.

"He's out of surgery I'm just waiting for the doctor." Cheryl told him.

"He's a tough old bastard he'll pull through this." Punk assured her.

"Is April here?" Cheryl asked.

"No she's with the FBI." Punk told her and Cheryl nodded.

"I want you to catch this son of a bitch." Cheryl whispered to him as she cried. "Catch him and let him burn."

"Trust me it's going to happen." Punk said to her.

"Detective Brooks." John said waving him over.

"I'll be right back." he told Cheryl and walked over to John. "What the fuck happened?"

"I found him in April's bedroom." John told him. "I don't know how long he was down for."

"Why where you there?" Punk asked.

"He went off the radio and no one could get in touch with him." John informed him.

"You should have fucking called me!" Punk hissed.

"There was nothing you could do." John insisted.

"He's my partner!" Punk yelled.

"And I know he would have rather you been with AJ than with him." John said simply.

"I should have been notified the minute you guys couldn't reach him." Punk argued.

"Wouldn't have changed the outcome." John said to him as the doctor came out.

"Detective Michael's is critical but stable." Punk heard the doctor tell Cheryl and felt relief. "He was stabbed three times but thankfully the attacker missed all major organs."

"Thank god." Cheryl said with relief.

"Is Brooks here?" he asked her.

"That's me." Punk said walking over.

"He's asking to see you." The doctor told him.

"Before me?" Cheryl asked.

"He said it was important." The doctor said to her.

"You better go." Cheryl encouraged.

Punk walked into Shawn's room and saw he was lying in pain in bed.

"Hey." Punk greeted.

"April." Shawn croaked out. "Go to her."

"What?" Punk asked unable to hear him.

"April." he struggled to speak louder. "Get April."

"Shawn-" he started.

"Go!" Shawn yelled out with all of his strength.

Punk jogged out of the room and saw officers racing out of the building.

"What's going on?" Punk asked John.

"We got a witness that said Jake Miller is at the Old Star Motel, he must think AJ is there." John told him. Thankfully AJ was across town. "You coming?"

"Shawn said to go to AJ." Punk said conflicted.

"We have a positive ID." John argued. "Bryan is with her and Jake Miller is not." John then raced out the door.

"Do what Shawn said." Cheryl said to him. "He knows better than them."

"Ok." Punk said nodding. "Are you ok here?"

"Yes just go to April." Cheryl insisted.

* * *

Punk tried calling AJ in the car but she didn't answer, he tried Agent Bryan but also no answer. Once he pulled into the parking lot he saw Bryan's car parked and running right outside AJ's door. Punk eased out of his car quietly and walked over to Bryan's car that was empty. Punk slowly walked to AJ's door and put his ear to the door as he withdrew his weapon but heard nothing. As he reached to call for backup the door opened on a crack.

Punk moved in very slowly and when he was fully inside he kicked something and saw it was the body of Agent Bryan.

"Phil." AJ's voice cracked.

"AJ where are you?" Punk asked trying to spot her in the dark room but not wanting to walk around further and risk Jake getting the jump on him.

"He's gone." She cried.

Punk switched on the light spotted AJ in the corner of the room crying with her knees tucked up to her chest. She was on the other side of the bed as far away from Agent Bryan as possible. Punk raced right towards her, ignoring the agent on the ground and tucked his gun away.

"Are you hurt?" he asked inspecting her quickly. "Talk to me AJ!"

"I'm fine. The blood isn't." She said holding her arms out that were covered in blood. "I tried to help Agent Bryan-"

Punk stood up and walked back towards and just checked for his pulse to make sure he was dead.

"What happened?" Punk asked looking back to her.

"The second you pulled out of the lot there was this loud noise outside and when Agent Bryan opened the door to check it out Jake was already outside the door." she whispered. "He stabbed him before he could even react. He thought it was you."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked her.

"He kept stabbing Agent Bryan." she sobbed. "It was so brutal. I ran over to try to help him but Jake grabbed me by my arms and threw me onto the floor." she cried. "His eyes were so cold. Colder than I've ever seen."

"AJ did he hurt you?" Punk asked again this time louder.

"No." She assured him. "He just went back to stabbing him and was yelling at him. He said 'where's Brooks?' and I didn't say anything. Once he was done he grabbed me and tried to pull me outside the room into his car but I kicked him as hard as I could and ran into the room and locked the door."

"Good. You did so fucking good." Punk said relieved by her quick thinking he wasn't even sure why but he placed a tender kiss on her forehead and then rested his forehead against hers. His heart was pounding and he wasn't even here.

"Phil." She cried.

"It's ok now." He assured her and couldn't but feel the relief in his body that she was ok.

"I was too scared to move to the phone." She cried.

"That's ok." He said to her and held her against his body.


	7. Friends

**Friends**

* * *

Punk had taken AJ to the hospital anyway to get checked out since she was in such shock he wasn't sure if she really wasn't hurt. He was in the waiting area when John approached him.

"Sorry about your partner." Punk said to him.

"Me too." John said sadly as took the seat next to Punk. "She got lucky tonight."

"I don't believe in luck." Punk blurted out.

"What are we going to do with her?" John asked him.

"Motel isn't safe." Punk noted. "What about your tip?"

"Decoy. A homeless guy who said a man matching Jake's description gave him the clothes. He wanted all of the police across town while he went after AJ." John told him. "Good thing you went there."

"He was already long gone." Punk said to him. "Once AJ locked him out he must have thought she called for help."

"Why didn't she?" John asked him. "Maybe if she would have called-"

"Daniel would still be dead." Punk said cutting him off.

"But-" he began.

"But nothing." Punk remarked coldly. "Don't you dare put this on her. She was in shock she just watched a second person get murdered feet away from her, she tried to help him."

"My bosses want to know why AJ wasn't killed." John said to him.

"Who the fuck cares?" Punk hissed. "Just be grateful."

"Be grateful that my partner died?" John asked him.

"Are you really going to sit there and tell me you would have preferred it to be AJ? The person you and your partner were fucking tasked with protecting?" Punk asked stunned.

"Her mother, Detective Michaels and now Agent Bryan- it's just a lot of death around someone who hasn't had a scratch on them." John noted. "How does she keep getting so lucky?"

"Wait a second." Punk said holding up his hand. "Do you think AJ is on it with him?"

"I didn't say that. I'm just pointing out how Jake Miller decided to stab Daniel 104 times and not even think of going for AJ who was completely at his mercy." John said to him. "It's very off."

"You're very off." Punk spat. "She's a victim not a suspect."

"We need to come up with a new game plan-" John began.

"No." Punk said standing up.

"No?" John questioned.

"The way you're talking about her, thinking about her- no fucking way do you get to be part of protecting her." Punk said to him. "Either you think she was in on it or you wish it had been her over your partner and I won't have it."

"I didn't say either of those things." John pointed out.

"I'm cleared to go." AJ said walking over to them. "John I'm so sorry about tonight." he just nodded at her and Punk glared at the man for making her feel guilty over this. "I thought-"

"Don't say anymore to him." Punk said to her.

"Do you think I could see Shawn before we go back to the Motel?" She asked him.

"Yea sure." Punk said guiding her away from John and towards Shawn's room.

* * *

Shawn was sitting up and talking a little when Punk and AJ walked in.

"Thank god." Shawn said relieved. "Are you ok?" he asked AJ.

"Yea." She said with a weak smile.

"How did you know?" Punk asked him.

"He told me he knew the Motel she was in and said he knew she was with you." Shawn told him. "I didn't think I told you in enough time."

"Agent Bryan died." AJ told him.

"I heard." Shawn frowned. "That's not on you kid."

"Agent Cena thinks so." AJ said to him and Punk looked at her. "I eavesdropped so sue me." she muttered.

"He what?" Shawn demanded.

"He's an idiot." Punk said to him.

"Get her out of here." Shawn said to him.

"I am I'm just not sure where-" he started.

"No get her out of town." Shawn ordered him. "Don't tell the Fed's."

"Are you sure about that?" AJ asked him.

"The Fed's are pissed their guy died as they should be but they're going to be desperate to get Jake Miller and will use you to do so." Shawn told her then looked at Punk. "I'll talk to the Captain but get her out of Jersey now. Get in a car and just go. Tell John that you're taking April to my place tonight if he asks and Cheryl will cover for you."

"Isn't this illegal?" AJ asked them.

"No you're not a suspect." Punk pointed out. "They can't stop you from leaving."

"They can't stop you either." Shawn added. "Get her to safe ground for a few days at least until Jake realizes she's gone. Maybe he'll leave town looking for her or completely loose it and get caught."

"I have to go home and get stuff." AJ said to them.

"No you need to get in the car with Detective Brooks and not look back." Shawn corrected. "It's not just you anymore he's looking for." he noted looking up at Punk. "You both need to get out of here it's the safest option- it's the only option."

"He's right." Punk said to AJ.

"Whatever you two tell me to do I will. But would it be better if I went alone?" she asked him.

"No." both Punk and Shawn said at the same time.

"Go on, get her out of here." Shawn said to Punk. "Take the stairs and avoid Cena."

"Come on." Punk said tugging AJ by the arm.

"I'll see you soon." Shawn said shooting AJ a reassuring smile.

* * *

Punk and AJ snuck out of the hospital and he got in the car and just drove. She wasn't sure where they were going and she was sure Punk wasn't sure either. They left at 10pm and she woke up at around 9am.

"I thought this was all a dream." AJ admitted as she slowly came to.

"There's a coffee there for you." he said nodding towards the cup holder. "It might be a little cold. I passed a drive-thru an hour ago."

"Thanks." she said happily taking the cup.

"There's donuts in the bag." he nodded towards the bag next to it.

"You are a saint." She grinned. "Sorry about all of this."

"Why are you sorry? I get a few days off." He teased as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Eleven hours of just driving? Where are we going?" She asked.

"I don't know yet but I have to stop home." Punk told her.

"Chicago?" she asked and he nodded.

"We're not staying but I have some stuff there." Punk said to her.

"What do you need that we can't just pick up on the road?" she asked.

"Cash for starters." He smirked. "I don't want to use any cards because John will trace them and drag you back there."

"Oh I didn't even consider that." she mumbled to herself.

"I also have some pre-paid phones, guns-" he rambled off.

"Why do you have all of that at your house?" she asked him.

"I used to work undercover." Punk confided. "I always had insurance in case I needed to make a quick getaway."

"If what we're doing isn't illegal why does it feel that way?" she asked him.

"It's not illegal AJ, John is upset about Daniel which I understand but I won't let him use you to get his revenge on Jake." Punk told her. "I saw it in his eyes in the hospital. Reasoning and thinking of ways to blame you for this."

"I am to blame." She pointed out.

"Don't say that." He said shaking his head.

"What's after Chicago?" She asked him. "How long are we staying?"

"We're not staying." Punk said to her. "Maybe the night just so I can get some sleep but not long at all. That will be the first place John goes to look for us."

"So should we even stay at all?" AJ asked.

"We'll stop get my stuff and crash at a hotel or something." He said to her.

"Don't you want to see your sisters or mother?" AJ asked.

"Nope." Punk said to her. "This isn't a social call."

"Ok." She said quickly.

"I'm sorry." he said realizing he snapped a bit. "I'm just tired."

"I could drive." She offered.

"Do you know how to get to Chicago?" he teased.

"No." She admitted trying not to smile.

An hour later they were in Chicago and AJ was in awe of the large City as they drove around.

"You act like you've never seen a City before." He laughed.

"I haven't." She said to him.

"You've never been to New York? Or to a part of Jersey that has stores that stay open past 8?" he asked shocked.

"No." She said looking at the window.

"Wow." Punk laughed. "Once this is all over I'll take you back here and on a tour."

"Would you?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure thing. Maybe I'll take you to New York first." He smirked.

Punk pulled up outside his large townhouse but didn't turn the car off.

"What?" AJ asked him.

"See that dark truck?" he asked pointing to the car parked outside his place.

"Yea." she said.

"It's a Fed car." Punk said and drove right past his place.

"What are the Fed's doing here?" AJ asked him.

"Probably looking for us." Punk said to her. "I'm sure John figured we were gone a half an hour after we left. Probably called in his buddies in Chicago to sit on my place."

"What are we going to do?" AJ asked him.

"The nice thing about going home? You always have friends." Punk smirked clearly not fazed at all.

"What if they look there too? Maybe I should just go with them." AJ suggested.

"No fucking way." He argued. "I won't let them use you for revenge."

"They're the FBI Phil." She reminded him.

"And they're looking out for their own." Punk added.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they were in a much different part of town. A kind of town that AJ wasn't used to. There were people screaming on the street, gangs of people walking together and arguing, graffiti painted over all the buildings, people just lounging on the sidewalks.

"It's not that bad." Punk smirked as he parked.

"I didn't say a word." She said nervously. "Want me to wait in the car?"

"Do you want to wait in the car?" he asked in a laugh.

"No." She said quickly taking her seat belt off and jumping out of the car.

"Hey sexy." A man whistled the minute she was out of the car. AJ wasn't sure how to respond as the man walked by.

"Thanks." AJ forced out unsure of what to say and Punk laughed at her as he got out of the car.

"Thanks?" Punk asked with a laugh.

"It was a compliment, wasn't it?" she asked as she walked over to Punk and joined him on the sidewalk.

"Yea." He laughed placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her down alleyway.

"Your friend lives in an alley?" She asked in a whisper as she held onto her arm and stepped over the homeless people sleeping in the alley.

"Do you have a dollar?" A man asked grabbing onto her ankle.

"No." Punk snapped now grabbing her hand and leading her down the alley until they reached a door. Punk banged on the door three times until someone swung it open.

"What the fuck?" a man with no shirt asked squinting his eyes at them.

"Can you let me in?" Punk asked and the man stepped aside so Punk could walk in and pull AJ inside with him.

"Woah." the man said pulling on his t-shirt. "If I had known a lady would be here I would have cleaned up."

AJ looked around the place and it was covered in clothes, pizza boxes and empty beer cans.

"Colt." Colt greeted extending his hand to her.

"Hi AJ." she smiled warmly.

"I need to talk to you." Punk said to Colt nodding towards the next room.

"Make yourself at home honey." Colt smiled throwing a bunch of clothes onto the floor patting the couch for her to sit.

"Thank you." she smiled. AJ looked uncomfortable as she sat stiffly on the seat and looked around the hole in the wall apartment.

"...are you fucking crazy?" Colt asked him. "You took an eye witness out of state? A witness to a murder of an FBI agent!"

"Shut the fuck up." Punk hissed. "I don't want her scared.

"She should be! You both could be in serious shit for this!" Colt scolded. "I thought Jersey would straighten you up but here you are doing stupid shit again."

"She gave a statement she's not on the run." Punk reasoned.

"I heard about this case you know." Colt said to him. "I knew you would be involved but I didn't think you'd be this stupid."

"My Captain knows I took her." Punk said to him.

"It doesn't fucking matter- FBI trumps local PD and you know it!" Colt scolded. "And why did you have to be the one to take her? Wasn't there anyone else? Like you don't have enough black marks on your professional career?"

"They think this guy is out for me too." Punk said to him.

"Why would they think that?" Colt asked annoyed. "If you want my help start fucking talking."

"He's obsessed with her." Pun shrugged.

"What does that have to do with you?" Colt asked growing impatient.

"Hey may or may not have seen us in an intimate moment..." Punk mumbled.

"Are you fucking insane!" Colt screamed.

"Shush!" Punk hissed.

"You're an idiot." Colt laughed. "You know this guy wants her so you decide to guard her and fuck her right under his nose? For what? To piss him off more? Did you not show up to the academy on the day they taught ethics?"

"Relax." Punk said annoyed.

"I won't relax you're dating a very wanted woman right now." Colt insisted.

"We're friends." Punk clarified and he rolled his eyes.

"Friends? You always do such reckless shit for your friends?" Colt asked.

"I do. You should know that first hand." Punk said narrowing his eyes at him.

"Fine." Colt said walking over to a small safe in his room. "You're lucky I fucking love you like a brother. I've got cash."

"Good." Punk said to him.

"You need to crash here too?" Colt asked. "You said feds were sitting on your place and you've been driving all night."

"I could use a few hours." Punk admitted. "Not for the night just a few hours. I'll be gone before you even get back from work."

"I'm working undercover today I'll be out all night." Colt said to him. "But don't be surprised if Rollins drop by, he's been crashing here."

"You're still loyal to him?" Punk asked him quietly.

"Don't make me pick sides between you two." Colt sighed taking cash out of the safe and placing it on the bed. "He was in a tough spot."

"He was my partner." Punk corrected. "He should have had my back."

"He didn't want to end up like you. Can you blame him?" Colt asked closing his safe up. "That a couple grand and should get you through until you can get back into your place."

"Thanks." Punk said looking at the money. "I'll be gone before Seth gets here and blows the whistle on me."

"I thought this was all legal?" Colt asked him. "Don't be stupid." he warned his friend. "And don't let fresh pussy cloud your judgment."

"She's not just pussy." Punk scoffed. "She's a friend."

"A friend." Colt mocked. "Right, whatever." he then walked out of the room. "It was lovely to meet you." He smiled at AJ.

"Thanks man." Punk said as Colt walked out the door.

"Are we going?" She asked.

"In a few hours. I need to get some sleep." Punk said to her.

"I still don't have any clothes or anything." AJ noted.

"I know we'll get some." he said to her. "Want to come inside with me?" he asked and she stood up and followed him into the bedroom.

"Nice bed." She laughed seeing just a large mattress on the floor. "Maybe the couch would be more comfortable for you?"

"Ugh this is probably the cleanest spot in this shit hole." Punk said rolling onto the mattress.

AJ removed her jacket and boots then crawled onto the mattress after him and rolled onto her side. She didn't need to sleep since she slept in the car but she knew he was tired, also she didn't want to be left alone in the strange place. Punk rolled onto his side and pulled AJ so her back was pressed into his chest. She felt him push the thick strap of her white tank-top to the side and felt him kiss her shoulder.

"I thought you were tired." She giggled.

"I was. But then I remembered how we left things unfinished last night." He noted as he continued to kiss her shoulder.

"You want me to finish you off?" she asked with a grin even though he couldn't see it.

"I want to finish you off." he corrected as his hands moved to her breasts and he began to play with them over her shirt. His one hand cupped her right breast tightly while his hand roughly rand down her stomach until they slipped past her leggings and began to cup her down there as well. "Wet. Always."

"I can't help how my body responds to you." She said closing her eyes and enjoying his rough touch to the most sensitive parts of her body. "Don't you want me to finish what I started?"

"No I want you on top of me." He whispered against her ear.

AJ pulled away from him and pulled her tank-top off and got off the mattress so she can pull down her pants and underwear. AJ's arms stretched behind her back and unclasped her bra and threw it at his face and he let out a laugh as he tossed it to the floor. Punk removed his own clothes but kept his eyes on her bare body the entire time.

"Do you have...you know..." she trailed off.

"A condom? No." He laughed and her face fell. "If you walk over to that dresser there should be a box in the top drawer.

AJ walked over to the dresser and sure enough there was a large box.

"For her pleasure." She teased pulling one out and Punk rolled his eyes.

"Leave it to him." Punk scoffed.

"How did you know where they were?" She asked him.

"This used to be my undercover place. A few the guys still use it." Punk told her. "Also I've lived with Colt since the academy. Now get your ass over her." he ordered.

AJ moved back onto the mattress and straddled him as she kissed him. Her lips left his as she kissed over his chest and captured one of his nipples in her mouth and swirled her tongue around it then her mouth slid across to the other one and gave it the same treatment. Punk was completely relaxed at the feel of AJ's small warm mouth on his body. His fingers were running through her hair as she kissed a straight line down his stomach until she reached his hard member.

Punk watched as she gave him a lick from bottom to top then took him into his mouth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he groaned as he moved his hips gently into her mouth. He cupped her face and reluctantly pried her mouth off of him. She licked her lips and tried to move back down but he wouldn't let her.

"Not this way. I want you riding me." he said to her.

"Ok." She smiled as she ripped the condom wrapper open and slid the rubber over his now twitching shaft.

AJ lifted her hips and slid onto him and dropped until she was sitting on his thighs. Punk sat up quickly and buried his face in her breasts and began to kiss them. He began to suck on her right nipple while AJ just rolled her hips around on him.

"I need to move." she insisted.

Punk laid back and let her work her magic. Her hands were on his side as she used his body leverage to lift and drop back onto him slowly. It was almost agonizing to him but she looked so hot doing it he didn't care. Punk's hands were at her breasts kneading them roughly while her hips moved perfectly. AJ's hand moved over herself and she began to tease herself trying to release sooner. Punk's hands moved to her hips and watched her please herself until she came.

As soon as AJ came around him he flipped her under him and pushed into her but not in his usual rough manner. This was gentle and so satisfying to her. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he used only his lower half as leverage to invade her small body. AJ grabbed his face and kissed him and it didn't slow him down at all, he never missed a beat. Punk sucked on her bottom lip as she began to moan into his kisses as she felt her body begin to get hot and tight again.

"You're a greedy little thing aren't you?" he asked as his lips brushed hers.

"You make me feel so good." She almost cried.

AJ's head dropped to the side and she looked towards the door as Punk's pace picked up and his face dropped against her cheek. He was kissing her cheek as she hit another orgasm causing her to scream out. Punk was right there with her and came just as she did.

"You are fucking amazing." Punk said place a gentle kiss on her cheek as he pulled out of her.

"You bring it out of me." She grinned rolling back over so she was nose to nose with him.

It wasn't five minutes and Punk was already sleeping. AJ lifted the sheets so they were both covered and she was now tired after that small workout and fell asleep herself.

* * *

A few hours later AJ was awake and Punk was still out cold. The poor guy was driving all night, Punk was sleeping with his back to her and she got off of the mattress realizing she had pee badly. She grabbed Punk's t-shirt that met her knees and quietly opened the bedroom door and closed it so it wouldn't wake him.

"Hello there." a voice greeted and AJ nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Hi." AJ said eyeing the few strangers that were now in the room.

"You didn't mention you a woman in there." a man said eyeing AJ's bare legs.

"She must be with my roommate." the two tones hair man shrugged. "Whats your name baby?"

"April." She forced out squeezing her legs together since she really did have to pee.

"I'm Seth." he introduced. "This is Brandon, John and Mike." he said pointing at the three men on the couch drinking a beer. "Colt left you huh?" he laughed.

"He left a few hours ago." AJ said nervously brushing the hair out of her face.

"The bathroom is right through the door." he said with a laugh clearly able to tell she had to go.

"Thank you!" she said relieved and ran inside the room.

When AJ left the bathroom she bumped right into Seth.

"You want something to drink?" He offered.

"No thanks." AJ said stepping to the side.

"Why don't you come sit over her." one of the men smiled waving her over to the couch.

"I have to get dressed-" she started.

"No sweetheart you don't." another man informed her as he licked his lips.

"Colt's really stepped up his game." one man laughed.

"Yea she's not a bagger." Seth agreed tilting his head as he eyed AJ.

"A bagger?" AJ asked innocently.

"Where are you from honey?" Seth asked amused chuckling at her.

"Far." was her answer.

"Secretive." Seth smirked. "I like that." he said to her. "How serious are you and Colt?"

"Oh um-" she started but someone answered for her.

"She's with me." Punk announced stepping out of Colt's room.

"I'll be damned." Seth said looking at him.

"We weren't looking." One of the men said from the couch. "As a matter of fact we were just leaving."

"You just sat down." Seth laughed.

"We're done anyway. It was lovely to meet you Miss." One of the men smiled politely as the three rushed out the door.

"Wasn't expecting to see you." Seth noted looking at Punk.

"Why don't you go inside and get dressed." Punk suggested to AJ who just nodded and quickly stepped into the bedroom and slammed the door.

"She's hot." Seth noted. Punk only had on his jeans since AJ had on his shirt.

"I'm not staying I'm just passing through." Punk remarked coldly.

"Is this trip back home business or personal?" Seth asked.

"None of your fucking business." Punk remarked.

"It is when you decide to stop in my place for a quick fuck." Seth snorted.

"This isn't your place." Punk reminded him. "Don't run your mouth off either."

"So you're running?" Seth asked with a laugh. "Let me guess that tight little ass you're balls deep in is married?"

"Don't." Punk warned him.

"You on the run from the law again?" Seth asked.

"I am the law." Punk shot at him.

"Whatever." Seth said annoyed. "I didn't see a thing- except for her legs."

"Shut the fuck up." Punk warned him taking a step towards him.

"Relax man." Seth laughed. "Stop wasting your time with me when you have a woman in the bedroom."

Punk walked back into the bedroom and AJ passed him his shirt.

"I'm so embarrassed I didn't think anyone was home." AJ whispered as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"It's fine. Seth is an idiot." Punk mumbled putting on his own shirt. "But we need to get out of here."

He walked over to the closet and pulled out a small gym bag and placed the money inside of it.

"I have money." She told him. "It's just in my bank account."

"We can't touch that." Punk reminded her. "We'll swing back by my place they might have left."

"Ok." She said to him.

"There's clothes at my place too. They're not going to fit you but they're clean at least." he noted with a frown.

"Whatever you want to do or have is fine." She said to him as she put on her jacket.

"What are you thinking?" he asked as he put on his own jacket now, able to tell her mind was ten miles away.

"It's just I'm in a strange place in a strange city and I haven't felt this safe in weeks." she admitted. "And this is the most exciting thing I've ever done."

"You've lived a pretty boring life." He laughed as he zipped up the bag of cash.

"Maybe I should become a cop." She teased.

"Let's just get you through this first, huh?" he teased.

* * *

AJ was in the car waiting a few blocks over and it was almost twenty minutes before Punk made it back to the car.

"Was anyone there?" AJ asked him as he jumped in the car and this time he had a much bigger bag which he quickly tossed into his backseat.

"Nope. But they'll probably be back. I got everything we needed." Punk said turning the car on.

"Cold?" he asked seeing her shiver. "I didn't mean to take so long." he adjusted the vents so they would blast on her.

"No I'm ok." She said placing her hands in front of the vent. "I just realized this is the week I decorate for Christmas."

"You'll be home for Christmas." Punk informed her.

"You think so?" she asked.

"I know so." He confirmed as he put the car in drive and took off.

"Where are we going now?" she asked him.

"Don't know." he admitted. "I'll just drive and see where we end up."

"Are you sure you don't want to stop and see your family first? I don't mind." she said to him.

"Nope." Punk said simply turning on the radio. "Once we're out of Chicago we'll stop for some food because I know you're starving."

"I'm fine." she said to him.

"I can hear your stomach grumbling." He laughed.

"Maybe I'm a little hungry." She smirked.

"We'll actually stop in a motel tonight too." He said to her. "No driving through the night."

"Oh good." she said relieved. "Dinner and a nights rest? You're spoiling me." Punk let out a laugh and looked at her amused.

"Maybe I'll even spring for coffee in the morning." he winked.

"Well you're the best friend I've ever had." She teased. "But seriously thank you for doing this."

"Keeping you safe? It's my job." He shrugged.

"It goes above that and you know it." She said to him. "How many potential victims do you take on the run?"

"This is a first for me." He had to admit.

"I'll make it up to you." she said to him. "This goes above the call of duty."

"I told you that first day we met I'd keep you safe." Punk reminded her.

"After this is over- we're still going to hang out right?" she asked him.

"Didn't I tell you I'd take you to New York?" He asked her. "Of course. You're the type of friend I need in my life."

"I think I'm the one that needed you." She countered as she rested against her seat and looked ahead at the open road, trusting the man she barely knew.


	8. Bounty

**Bounty**

* * *

The next morning Punk and AJ were in a hotel in Gary Indiana. They only stopped here because Punk's trouble broke down and it was going to take a few days to fix it. Punk wanted to be further away from Chicago and not in such a rough City. AJ was up most of the day as Punk slept through most of the day. He really hadn't had much sleep in the last few weeks in general. He did get in touch with Shawn last night briefly and John was searching for them but they couldn't get a warrant since AJ hadn't committed a crime.

AJ snuck out of the motel room, careful not to wake Punk in search for some snacks. They had a big dinner before the car broke down last night but it was now almost 4pm and she was hungry again and she knew he would be too. She found a vending machine on the property and stocked up on candy bars. She was next to the ice machine when a group of barely dressed women walked by. She knew enough to know that a lot more went on at this motel. The men in suits who could clearly afford better, the beat up looking young women- it rubbed her the wrong way.

"Hello there." A man greeted.

"Hi." AJ replied shyly.

"I saw you check in last night. Are you looking for work?" he asked her.

"Work? No." She laughed as she collected the items she purchased.

"Why are you eating out of a vending machine?" the man asked as her amused.

"It's just a snack for me and my friend." AJ said with a nervous smile. "He's right inside." she said to him.

"We all have friends." The man grinned. "I'm Randy." he introduced.

"I'm Jeanette." she said not wanting to use her real first name.

"You look more like a Trixie." He teased. "How old are you? Are you 18?"

"I'm older than 18." She laughed.

"It's a shame you don't want to work because you could pass for that age and I have a lot of clients very interested in that criteria." Randy noted eyeing AJ's petite frame.

"What do you mean clients?" AJ asked confused and he let out a laugh.

"Are you sure you aren't 18?" he asked her amused.

"I'm not." she said to him.

"Your whole vibe is actually my kind of thing too." He noted licking his lips.

"Well it was nice meeting you but like I said my friend is waiting for me." she said stepping away. "He's a really muscular guy and gets hungry fast." she rambled off nervously while Randy tried not to laugh at her excuses.

"Sure thing honey." Randy said letting her walk away. "If you change your mind I'm in room 302."

"I won't. Thanks." she quickly rushed into her room and closed the door and put the chain up.

"Something wrong?" Punk asked and AJ jumped at the sound of his voice and dropped all of her snacks.

"You scared the shit out of me." She scolded bending over to pick up the snacks.

"Sorry." He said sitting up in the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I'm just jumpy." she said placing the snacks on the table. "I got us food."

"Healthy." He teased getting out of the bed and stretching. AJ diverted her eyes to the table because Punk was sleeping in only sweats and she didn't want him to think he was a sex maniac. "There's a pizza place a few blocks over I was going to pick us up pizza-"

"Can I just come with you?" she asked hopefully. "I don't want to hang around alone."

"Sure." He said unsurely. "Someone bother you AJ?"

"No. I just think shady stuff goes on here." She whispered.

"I'm sure there is." He laughed. "This isn't exactly the Plaza."

"Jeanette!" A knock at her door froze her. Punk narrowed his eyes at the door then looked at her.

"Jeanette?" Punk asked her with a laugh.

"I didn't want anyone to know my real name." She shrugged and opened the door.

"Hi honey I think you dropped this." he said holding a bill in his hand.

"No I would have remembered dropping a hundred dollar bill." She said with a laugh.

"Are you sure?" Randy asked cutely.

"She's sure." Punk said stepping behind AJ.

"Oh you're the friend with all the muscle." He laughed. "You look really familiar- you from around here?"

"No." Punk said simply and slammed the door in his face.

"Why was he giving me money?" AJ asked him.

"He's a pimp AJ." Punk said to her. "Orton I think his name is."

"How do you know that?" AJ asked curiously.

"I worked 20 minutes away from here, I know. He used to be set up in Chicago." Punk noted grabbing a t-shirt and slipping it on. "Colt worked undercover trying to get him but there were some slip ups and he walked. Too many eyes were on him so he moved out of town but not too far to mess up his business."

"Oh so that's what he meant when he offered me a job." AJ said to herself and Punk laughed again.

"Stop hanging around pimps in shady motels." Punk smirked.

"Jealous because he offered me a job?" She teased.

"Yes. I wish someone would offer me a prostitution job." Punk scoffed. "I've got to get us out of this motel." he mumbled.

"The mechanic said three days tops." AJ shrugged. "I'll stay out of trouble."

"Are you capable?" He asked seriously and she pouted.

"Don't make fun of me." she scolded. "Did you have clothes for me?" she asked.

"Yea like I said some of it might not fit. My sisters left some things at my place, old friends." he said and she made a weird face. "What?"

"I don't want to wear your exes old clothes." She said to him.

"I said some was my sisters also they're all clean I assure you." he said to her. "Or you can wear the same thing everyday or wear my clothes but you might as well go naked because my stuff will fall right off of you." he warned her then grinned. "On second thought wear my stuff."

"Pig." She snorted slapping his stomach then walked over to the bag. "So uh- how many exes clothes are in here?"

"I don't keep count." Punk said opening up a candy bar and taking a bite out of it.

"You had tiny girlfriends." She noted pulling out some shirts.

"Do I have to say again that some of that belongs to my sisters?" he asked her.

"No." she said to him. "Jeans are small but I can fit in them."

"How could you not? You're a size zero I'm sure." he scoffed.

"Does my ass look like it could fit into a zero?" she asked mockingly. Punk dramatically tilted his head and zeroed in on her ass as he took another bite out of his candy bar.

"You're right." He agreed looking back at her face.

* * *

Punk and AJ headed to the only food place near which was a pizza place. He watched as AJ devoured almost an entire pie by its self.

"Good?" he laughed.

"So good." She said satisfied.

"Do you always eat like that?" he asked her.

"I do." she confirmed rather smugly.

"And you're still that small? Or does all that pizza go straight to your ass?" he asked her and she let out a loud laugh.

"My ass isn't that bad and you're starting to give me a complex about it." She warned him.

"Hey I like your ass." He defended quickly. "The bigger the better."

"Phil." She whispered and nodded towards the TV. Punk turned his head and saw AJ's face on the TV with a caption running across. 'Missing person'.

"That son of a bitch." Punk muttered looking at the TV.

"What's happening?" AJ asked him.

"John can't get a warrant out for you or have any legal reason to have you brought in so he's treating you like a missing person's case." Punk said to her. "It's actually smart on his part. Except it will probably drive Jake Miller out of town in search of you."

"Do we go back?" AJ asked him keeping her head low.

"No." Punk snorted. "We just have to make sure you don't get spotted."

"Phil there is a reward." AJ whispered looking back at the TV. "A hundred thousand!"

"Shh." Punk hissed. "Your dad probably put up that money. Come on." he said throwing some money on the table. "Come on." he said grabbing her gently by the elbow and out of her seat.

"How bad is this?" AJ asked him as he rushed her out of the pizza place and they began the ten minute walk back to the motel.

"It's bad because people in this town will do a lot for a hundred grand." Punk said to her. "You need to keep a low profile."

"How much lower could I keep?" she asked him. "I feel like a criminal."

"You're not a criminal." He repeated.

"Maybe we should just go back." She suggested again.

"There's a reason Shawn wanted you out of town. There's a very dangerous man looking to hurt you and the FBI isn't worried about catching him or keeping you safe they're more concerned about baiting him with you." Punk said to her.

"You must be scared too." She noted.

"I am." he confirmed.

"If it makes you feel better I think you could take him." AJ said lightly and he looked at her.

"You think I'm scared he's going to hurt me?" Punk laughed. "I know I could take him."

"So what are you scared about?" She asked.

"I'm scared for you." He told her honestly.

"I thought you said I'd be ok?" She asked.

"You will be as long as you stick with me." Punk said to her. "John isn't going to help you, I will."

"But he's the FBI." AJ pointed out.

"Yes he is and he wants to catch his guy and good for him and if he happens to keep you safe in the process he'll be happy. I on the other hand am more concerned with your safety and if I happen to catch or kill that psycho I'll be happy." Punk said simply.

"What are you supposed to do?" AJ asked him as they hurried back.

"Huh?" he asked her briefly looking back at her.

"In your police handbook are you supposed to catch the bad guy or protect the innocent?" she asked him.

"There isn't a real handbook." Punk said to her. "It's instinct. Every cop has different ones and you have to determine the right thing to do."

"And unlike every other cop you're choosing to keep me safe? What if you're wrong?" she asked him.

"I'm never wrong." he scoffed.

"I don't want you to get in trouble." AJ said as she stopped walking.

"AJ we don't have time for this." He groaned. "We have to get back."

"You did this before." She said to him. "You picked your sister over catching a criminal and that's why you got into so much trouble."

"Wrong." Punk corrected. "I was too late to help my sister."

"Which is why you got so much flack from the force for doing it." She pointed it. "Then you sought out revenge-"

"Wrong AJ." he pointed out again. "I picked being a cop and waiting out to make a big arrest and that's what got my sister killed. I won't make that mistake again."

"You're still going to get in trouble. If someone reports seeing me and you-" she started.

"No one is going to report it and I didn't kidnap you so don't worry." Punk said to her.

"I'm going back." she said stumping ahead of him.

"No you're not!" he argued.

"I'm not dragging you down with me!" she argued back.

"Well I'm not taking you back." He said to her. "I'm the cop and I know the right thing to do!"

"You're putting me before your career and I won't allow it. I know how much you love your job-" she started

"-so let me do my job!" He yelled back.

AJ ignored him and walked to the side of the road and held her arm out to hitch a ride.

"Are you fucking crazy?" he asked pulling her arm down and dragging her away.

"Let me go!" She yelled trying to jerk her arm free.

"No! And I will cuff you for the rest of the time if you don't stop this!" he threatened. "I've come too far now to keep you safe stop trying to screw it up!"

"Just let me go back and leave me to John and the FBI!" she yelled as she stomped back to the motel with him right behind her.

"No! I'm going to keep you safe not them!" he shouted.

"Why do you care so much?" she demanded as they were a few feet away from their motel room door.

"Because I care for you AJ you fucking know that." He said annoyed. "You're the only good fucking thing to come out of that shit town I got shipped off to! You also deserve to have someone put you first for a change! I know it's weird for someone to be selfless with you but fucking deal with it and stop fighting me every fucking stop!" he shouted.

AJ stopped and turned around to glare at him, her hands were on her hips and she marched a few feet over to him.

"You're my friend." Punk said quietly. "I want you to live and have a peaceful life, ok? So sue me."

"I'm not going to sue you." She spat.

AJ reached up and grabbed his face and pulled him down into a kiss. Punk was surprised by the action but he wasn't complaining. Punk's arms wrapped around her waist and he walked her backwards towards their door which was only a few feet away. Once her back hit the door the kiss intensified and they both needed to get inside the room but Punk couldn't even pry away to get the key from his pocket. AJ's hand slid into his pocket while he continued kissing her and pulled the key out of his pocket. Punk's hand moved to hers and took the key from her and without opening his eyes he unlocked the door and they stumbled inside.

Their lips were apart finally as Punk lifted her shirt over her head and she did the same to his and he made quick work of her jeans as she kicked off her shoes. It was a matter of minutes that AJ was bare to him. He gripped her hair to tilt her head back so he could devour her mouth again and back her towards the bed. She fell onto the bed but Punk rolled her onto her stomach and lifted her hips into the air. His body draped over hers as he kissed down her spine until he reached his favorite spot over her. He couldn't resist sinking his teeth into her right cheek causing her to yelp from surprise.

AJ looked straight ahead as she waited for Punk to make the next move which she could tell was coming by the sound of his jeans zipper go down. She felt him tease her form behind with himself and she bit on her lower lip as she anxiously waited for him to penetrate her. She wiggled her ass a bit until he finally slid into her. AJ's smile was wide as she felt him deep inside of her and move into her. She turned her head to watch him work and he was the sexiest man that she had ever seen. Everything he did made her melt and this was no different.

Punk's head tilted curiously as he watched her watch him. His hands gripped her hips almost painfully as he continued to move into her and watch her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever been with, there was nothing fake about her- she was all real and innocent and he loved that most about her. Punk pulled out of her without warning and released her hips and she quickly rolled onto her back and sat up.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked almost desperately she was so close to her release and she needed him to get her there.

"Tell me you'll stay." He said to her.

"What?" She asked clearly delirious from all the pleasure he had given her in only a few moments.

Punk gripped her thighs and tugged her body up some so her back was on the bed but her lower half was in the air.

"Tell me you won't go back there." he ordered.

"You're bribing me with sex?" she asked stunned and slightly out of breath. "You're sick." She hissed and he just smiled. "Fine! I'll do whatever you say! Please just finish!" she begged.

A second later he was back inside of her and holding her up. AJ began to move her own hips sensually around him and he was caught off guard by it. Her hips were twisting him in ways he never felt as she sat up on her elbows and watched almost smugly. She wasn't innocent at all he thought to himself but he liked that even more about her. She clenched him tightly and he hissed as she made moving in and out of her more difficult.

"I'm close." She warned as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back as she stayed propped up on her elbows.

She was so bare to him and all his as far as he was concerned. He'd stay in shitty motels with her for the rest of his life if she gave it to him this good every time. She moved her one hand to center and played with herself until she came and once she did Punk pulled right out of here.

"Come here." he instructed and she sat up and realized he wasn't finished and that because he didn't have a condom on, although he couldn't finish this way he planned on using her body to finish him anyway.

She used all of her strength and sat up and grabbed him by his hips and tugged his twitching shaft to her face and replaced his hands that were stroking himself and took his tip into his mouth and he quickly came inside of her. She continued to stroke him until she was sure he was fully done and released.

AJ fell back on the bed landing on her back while Punk collapsed onto his stomach next to her. He turned his head so he was facing her and she ran her finger down his cheek.

"I really like you." she admitted.

Punk didn't respond but just gave her half a smile as he fingertip ran over his bottom lip Punk opened his mouth and caught the tip of her finger with his teeth gently causing her to giggle. Punk sat up a moment later.

"Where are you going?" She asked him.

"Take a shower and I'm going to head over to the gas station and check on the car." He said to her. "We need to get out of here. I trust you'll be here waiting for me?"

"I gave you my word." She said blushing slightly.

"Good." he said to her.

* * *

Punk was gone ten minutes when someone knocked on the door. AJ ignored it because Punk had warned her about opening the door for anyone. It could be Jake or the FBI. She was wearing Punk's t-shirt and a pair of his clean boxers as she sat on the bed but the knocking continued.

"Come on Jeanette- or should I say April Jeanette Mendez!" the voice yelled and AJ knew who it was.

"Fuck." She whispered to herself.

"I know you're in there because your friend or should I say Detective Phillip Jack Brooks-" he yelled loudly as AJ swung the door open. "Thank you." Randy Orton grinned as he stepped inside of her room.

"Did you call the FBI?" AJ asked.

"I knew your friend looked familiar." Randy laughed. "His face was all over the press a few months back."

"Did you call anyone?" AJ demanded.

"No. But I'm going to because wow could I really use a hundred grand." Randy remarked with a whistle.

"Don't." AJ begged him. "You don't know the whole story- I'm not on the run-"

"You're a 'missing person' yes I know I saw the news special." Orton said to her. "I don't like the Feds for obvious reasons so if I could get a hundred grand another way I'll keep it to myself."

"I don't have that." AJ said to him. "Well I do but I can't get it out of the bank." she said to him.

"You guys didn't travel with cash?" Orton asked sarcastically.

"We did but not that kind of cash." She said to him.

"Ok so you'll have to earn me that money another way." Randy shrugged.

"Oh no." She said with a laugh. "You could wait here and speak to Phil."

"Phil? Back in Chicago he was known as 'Punk'." Randy snorted. "Nah, I don't have anything to say to him. It's not him who can earn me a hundred grand."

"We're actually leaving as soon as he gets back-" she began.

"Leave in the morning." Randy said to her. "Come on." he said opening the door.

"You see I can't because I gave my word I wouldn't leave the room." She smirked cutely.

"One client could earn me that money and maybe more." Randy said eyeing her. "I've got this guy who likes young girls, you can pull that off. You look like a high school baby girl."

"Some sick son of a bitch wants a high school girl?" AJ asked disgusted flashing to memories of Jake Miller. "You allow that?" she asked taking a step towards him. "You think that's ok?"

"Relax there little girl-" he began.

"I am not a little girl!" she yelled. "I am not in high school and I am not a victim!" she screamed and slapped him hard across the face.

AJ's face fell as she realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly "I-" she started but the man shoved her onto the bed.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you know who I am!?" he demanded.

"I thought you were-" she started as she sat up but he slapped her across the face so hard that she hit the bed again.

"I run this fucking town girly!" he yelled crawling on top of her and spreading her legs. "I like to test my girls out first." he hissed.

"Stop!" she screamed.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled balling his fist ready to hit her and she was silent. She wasn't crying and she didn't say a word. "Good you know how to listen." AJ just shook her head and Orton looked at her oddly and that's when he heard the sound of a gun clip.

"Get up." A voice ordered.

"Look-" Randy started already knowing it was Punk pressing his gun into the back of his head.

"Get the fuck up." Punk ice cold voice ordered.

Randy slowly got off of AJ and came to his feet at the foot of the bed.

"Are you alright?" Punk asked AJ but didn't take his deadly glare off of his Randy as he kept his gun pressed to his head.

"Yes." She said quietly sitting up.

"I know you're a cop." Randy said to him. "I know she's worth a hundred grand I was just coming over here to work out an arrangement and she attacked me out of nowhere! I was defending myself!"

"That's not what it looked like to me." Punk said keeping the same steady chilling voice.

"We have two options." Randy said to him. "First is you can call your cop buddies and have me arrested for a small misunderstanding that I won't be charged or even held with or you can let me go and I can pretend I never saw you two here."

"You want the money." AJ hissed.

"I want my freedom more honey." Randy smirked. As soon as he called her honey the gun pressed harder to the back of his head. "I mean Miss." he corrected quickly.

"Let him go." AJ said to Phil.

"I was thinking I'd blow your brains out right here." Punk said to Randy. "I walked in on you trying to rape my friend and we'll take our chances with the Feds."

"If you wanted to take your chances with Feds you wouldn't be here right now." Randy pointed out.

"Just let him go." AJ sighed. "He won't say anything he values his freedom or life for that matter." she said getting off of the bed but Punk didn't even flinch.

"Come on man she's fine." Randy laughed nervously. "Tell him!" he yelled towards AJ.

"Phil it's fine." AJ said slightly confused by Punk's behavior. She was fine and he could clearly see that.

"Man, come on." Randy whined. "I'm fucking sorry!'

"Drop the gun Phil." AJ insisted walking to him. "Don't do anything stupid that will get you into more trouble than him."

"Do your job as a cop and arrest me or let me go." Randy insisted.

Punk lowered his gun slowly and Randy turned to walk out the door but Punk was blocking it.

"Some cop you are." Randy grinned.

"Don't push it." AJ warned him.

Randy tried to get around Punk but he didn't move.

"Changing your mind?" Randy asked.

Punk just eyed the man and smirked then stepped to the side to let Randy out.

"Phil?" AJ asked once Randy was gone. He looked towards her and she carefully took the gun out of his hand. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." He said quietly as he watched her place his gun on the table.

"Where did you go? You zoned out." She noted.

"I don't even know." He admitted slowly snapping back to reality.

"You were thinking about your sister weren't you?" She asked him quietly. "I read about her case-"

"Don't talk about that right now." He said to her. "Did he hurt you?" he asked changing the subject.

"No." She said to him. "He whacked me pretty good." She admitted touching her cheek. "I kind of zoned out myself on him."

"Yea? What happened? Tell me everything." He demanded. "I might change my mind and decide to shoot him anyway."

"You won't shoot him." She laughed but he had a serious face on. "Uh- he came by because he recognized me from the news and he remembered you. He wanted me to give him the reward money or earn it for him. He said he had a client who liked high school girls and I thought of Jake and slapped him. I didn't mean to-"

"He deserves a lot more than a slap." Punk hissed.

"He hit me back and you walked in." She finished. "You have perfect timing."

"I heard you screaming from outside the door." Punk said to her. "Thankfully the car was ready and I drove it back or I would have been too late."

"You're a great cop." She shrugged.

"A great cop would have arrested him." Punk noted.

"If you want to arrest him and take that filthy piece of crap off the street I won't blame you." she said to him. "We'll deal with John."

"I don't want to." Punk said simply. "I'll have my chance to come back for him." he said to her. "And believe me once this is all said and done I'll make sure he ends up busted." he assured her.

"You can arrest him right now and lock him away." She pointed out.

"I could or I could get you the hell out of here." He said to her. "I think I'm going to get you the hell out of here." he said to her simply as he grabbed his gun and put the safety on it then tucked it behind his jeans. "You can wear that out but it's a little cold." he smirked nodding towards his boxers she was wearing.

"Oh sorry." She said with a laugh.

"Don't apologize, you look much better in those than I do." He said eyeing her legs and roaming his eyes up her body.

"I really doubt it." She said shooting him a wink then headed into the bathroom.

Punk watched as she walking and closed the door and couldn't help but smile. Punk bargained with a criminal and let him walk in order to keep AJ out of the hands of the greedy FBI and that was something he thought he'd never do. He didn't make deals with criminals he arrested them but not tonight and he had no regrets. But he did promise himself that he would be back once this was all over and right a lot of wrongs including with Orton who would live to regret the day he put his hands on someone so important to him.


	9. Clear Headed

**Clear Headed**

* * *

Two weeks living out of motels and being away from home was starting to drive AJ crazy. Punk had promised she'd be home for Christmas which was next week so she was starting to think she'd never be home again. She was actually boarder line miserable at this point since this big 'romantic' trip wasn't so romantic after all. They stopped in a quiet town in Ohio and have been holed up there ever since. The sex stopped once AJ got her 'friend' a week ago but even after it was gone Punk didn't seem to interested. As far as AJ was concerned he was more interested in the older woman working in the motel.

Her name was Maria and she fawned over Punk from the minute they checked in. When she asked how long him and his 'girlfriend' would be staying he quickly corrected her in calling her his 'friend' and AJ rolled her eyes at the busty red head who turned on the charm immediately after. She would come by to check in on them but she was really just looking to check in on Punk. She invited him out to dinner constantly which he turned down but she was sure he wanted to go.

She knew they weren't dating but obviously she had feelings for him obviously but Punk clearly was just enjoying the friendship, clearly she couldn't keep up in the bedroom with him and he was already bored with her. She was now on the run and felt lonely even though they did talk a lot and play games but that was about all.

"Hey sorry it took so long." Punk said walking back into the room.

"Everything ok?" She forced out as she read a book on the bed.

"Yea Maria just needed help moving some boxes downstairs." Punk said to her and she rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing." She replied quietly.

"You've been awfully quiet these last few days." Punk noted.

"I'm homesick. I've never been away from home from longer than a night before, I miss Charger, I miss my friends." She said to him. "I want to go home."

"That's not an option." Punk reminded her.

"Sure it is." She said to him. "The news isn't even showing my picture anymore so people have forgotten."

"Not Jake Miller." Punk said to her.

"So I have to wait here until he gets caught? What if he never does?" She asked him. "I just sit in a motel room every single day all day and not have a life?"

"At least until the FBI packs up. It won't be much longer know. I talked to Shawn yesterday and he's sure they're going to get called back soon." Punk said to her. "Then things will go back to normal."

"Normal." she huffed closing her book and getting off of the bed. "I want to go out." She complained. "I want to have fun!"

"Ok." Punk said simply. "Let's go out."

"Really?" She asked unsurely.

"Really." He confirmed. "Maria said there's this carnival a few blocks over."

"Will she be there?" she asked.

"Yea I think so." Punk shrugged. "What do you say?"

"Fine." she forced out but still didn't seem happy.

"Do you want to do something else?" he asked confused.

"No I'll third wheel on your date." she mumbled.

"I'm not going on a date with a Maria." Punk smirked at her and she just gave him a sarcastic grin and walked into the bathroom.

That's when it hit AJ, maybe Punk wasn't off helping Maria with chores around the motel maybe he was sleeping with her- maybe that's why he wasn't trying to sleep with her anymore. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the door as if Punk could see her before turning on the shower and getting in.

* * *

A few hours later it was dark out and Punk and AJ arrived at the carnival. Punk insisted she wear a baseball cap over her head at least just to make sure no one would spot her and even let her wear his Cubs baseball cap. It was freezing out but AJ seemed to be having a good time. She won herself a stuffed animal and dunked some poor guy into the freezing water.

"Hey glad you guys could make it." Maria greeted as she yelled over from a pie stand she was running.

"Thanks for giving us the tip." Punk smiled walking right over to her.

"Do you guys want a pie? My treat." she offered happily.

"Did you make them?" AJ asked skeptically.

"I did." Maria remarked proudly.

"No thanks." AJ said in a friendly voice but Maria's face fell. "I don't like pie."

"Yes you do." Punk noted looking down at her.

"Real pie." She said simply. "Yours looks like it it's been sitting out all night."

"AJ." Punk remarked surprised.

"It's ok." Maria smiled brushing it off.

Punk began chatting with Maria about something AJ didn't care to listen to so she stepped away to the stand next to it that had a stand to build sand sculptures. She eyed it and even though it was childish she loved mixing the sand together.

"Bad time of the year for a carnival huh?" A man teased from behind the table.

"Yea it's cold, no?" she asked.

"It's a Christmas carnival." He pointed out. "Interested in creating your own sand creation?"

"I don't think so." She smiled.

"It's not just for kids." He smirked. "I'll tell you what? Here." he said passing her a heart shaped glass. "Fill it up it's on me."

"Oh no you don't have to do that." AJ smiled brightly.

"I insist." He said to her. "You're the first person to stop by here and besides I'm a Cubs fan too."

"Will you take your offer back if I admit I've never seen a baseball game?" She teased as she poure some red sand into the glass. "The hat belongs to my friend." She said to him.

"Oh well you have good taste in friends than." He said to her with a smile. "Didn't bring your boyfriend with you tonight?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." She remarked shyly as she poured some more sand into the glass.

"Good." he said and she eyed him. "For me at least." he teased.

"I'm just visiting." AJ said to him. "I'm leaving in a few days."

"So I have a few days." he shrugged with a grin. "Where are you staying?" AJ ignored the question and added more sand. "I'm not a psycho killer." he assured her and AJ couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I just like my privacy." She said to him innocently.

"Look how about we start over?" he suggested. "I'm Mike." he greeted extended his hand to her.

"Jeanette." she lied shaking his hand.

"I have a few tickets and I'd like to offer to take you on the Ferris wheel." he said to her.

"I don't think so." She said finishing off the small heart. "I insist on paying. How much do I owe you?"

"Ok you owe me one ride on the Ferris wheel." He grinned. "Come on." he said holding up the ticket.

AJ looked to her side and saw Punk completely engrossed in his conversation with Maria so she smiled towards the nice stranger.

"Let's do it." She agreed and he stepped over the counter and waved someone over to watch his stand.

The minute AJ was off the Ferris wheel Punk was waiting at the exit of the ride for them and he didn't look happy.

"Your heart is pretty." Mike noted pointing to the glass art. "So is your smile."

"Thanks Mike." AJ said nervously as they approached Punk.

"AJ can I have a word with you?" Punk asked through gritted teeth.

"AJ?" Mike asked.

"It's a nickname, this is my friend I told you about." AJ smiled to him.

"Good to meet you." he smiled holding out his hand to Punk.

"Now." he said to AJ grabbing her by her arm and tugging her away.

"Don't be rude Phil." AJ scolded.

"Rude? What the fuck where you thinking?" He demanded.

"What? I'm an adult and he invited me on a ride." She shrugged.

"You can't just take off like that!" Punk yelled.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You could have at least told me you were taking off." He hissed.

"You were busy with Maria." AJ shot at him.

"Oh come off it AJ." He said grunted. "We're here to keep you safe not so you can date!"

"I wasn't dating I was going on a ride! Why can you go off with people I can't?" she argued.

"Because I don't have a killer after me!" he yelled.

"Yes you do! And also Jake Miller isn't here Phil!" she shouted. "I met a nice guy and went on one stupid ride!"

"In case you have forgotten your picture is still out there and now isn't the time to get cozy with anyone!" he yelled. "We're leaving."

"I don't want to go yet." she said stubbornly.

"Don't play games here AJ." He groaned. "I'm in charge here and I'm saying we're leaving."

"Stop treating me like a kid!" she yelled.

"Stop fucking acting like one!" he yelled.

"Is everything alright over here?" Mike asked stepping over to them and taking a step in front of AJ.

Punk's eyes widened with amusement and he grinned at the smaller man.

"Get lost." Punk said to him.

"Do you want me to call the police?" Mike asked AJ but not taking his eyes off of Punk.

"I am the cops." Punk informed him lifting his jacket to show off his gun.

"I don't see a badge." Mike said slightly alarmed and growing nervous. "Just a piece."

"He is a cop." AJ assured him. "I have to get going."

"Are you sure you're alright to leave with him?" he asked looking AJ.

"Yea." AJ said to him. "Thanks for the heart."

"Thanks for the ride." he winked.

"Bye." Punk grinned giving him a small wave as he walked off. "AJ." He said dropping his smile.

* * *

The minute they arrived back at the motel AJ got dressed and went right to bed.

"Going to check in on Maria?" AJ asked as he sat on the bed next to hers since they had gotten smaller beds that were separated.

"Maria is pregnant." Punk said to her and her head shot up.

"You got her pregnant!" AJ shouted.

"No her husband did." Punk said to her. "He works here too but sometimes she needs help sometimes because he works nights and she works the days."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" She asked annoyed.

"You didn't ask." He shrugged. "Is that why you've been so moody these last few days?"

"No." She scoffed and put her head back down and tried to close her eyes. "I told you I want to go home."

"I know you do." He sighed. "Soon." He promised.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" She asked him.

"What?" he asked confused. "I've been with you every single day for the last two months."

"You know what I mean." She said looking up at the ceiling. "I know we're not dating or anything but I thought we had- you know."

"The sex?" He asked.

"Yea." she confirmed. "Why did you get a room with two beds? Why won't you touch me? Why do you keep moving away from me?"

"Because I need to protect you not fuck you." he said to her. "I'm getting all fogged in my head and I need to think clearly."

"If you don't want to do anything anymore just say it." She said to him. "I'm not going to hate you or bully you into anything you don't want I just don't want to be waiting for nothing." Punk didn't say a word and she let out an annoyed breath and rolled onto her side so she was facing the wall and her back was to him.

"I just can't have my mind divided AJ." He said but she ignored him. "It's not that I don't want you-" he realized she wasn't going to talk to him anymore. "Come on AJ." He sighed as he got out of the bed.

Punk moved over to her bed and sat on the edge even though her back was still him.

"Can you at least roll over and face me?" he asked.

"I want to sleep Punk." she said and he cringed at her using his nickname for the first time in a very long time.

"You're beautiful." He said to her. "It's not easy for me to lay in the bed next to you and not try to crawl into yours. I have an attraction to you it's painfully obvious I just can't let my feelings get anymore in the way of my job."

"What do you mean anymore?" She asked finally and rolled over to face him.

"Do you think I'd take off on the run with just any witness or potential victim? Sleep on their couch even though they had police outside? Let a fucking disgusting pimp walk when I could have arrested him? No." he said to her. "I wouldn't do that for just anybody and you asked me a few weeks ago if it was my job to arrest Jake or keep you safe and yes I have an obligation to report to the FBI and work on bringing Jake in and leave you in the hands of others but I can't let that happen."

"Because of your sister?" she asked him.

"No AJ it has nothing to do with her but everything to do with you." Punk argued. "You're consuming me and I'm digging myself into a hole I don't even know if I can get out of now."

"I didn't want you to do that." She said sitting up. "I told you I would have gone back."

"I don't want you back. I don't want the FBI shipping you off somewhere where I won't be able to find you." Punk spat. "I wasn't lying when I said you were the best thing to happen to me in this shit move to Jersey."

"Really?" she asked trying not to blush.

"Really." He said seriously. "I'm trying really hard to be a professional when it comes to you but you're making it difficult."

"I didn't mean to make your job difficult." She whispered.

"I know." He said to her. "I was hoping after all of this was over and we're both back home in Jersey we could try to do this the right way. I love spending time with you and I don't want that to change after Jake is gone."

"I thought you were sick of me." She admitted feeling relieved.

"Sick of you?" he laughed.

"I also thought you were sneaking off to sleep with Maria." she also admitted and he laughed.

"No. She's not my type." He snorted. "Is that why you ran off with your friend at the carnival?"

"Maybe." she shrugged. "Were you jealous?"

"Jealous? No." He laughed then looked at her frown. "A bit. He was a tool anyway."

"He gave me a heart." she said to him.

"Not the kind that matters." He shot back.

"You can go back to your bed and do your job all the way across the room. I won't bother you." she said to him laying back down.

"I mean maybe one more night wouldn't be so bad..." he trailed off.

"Go to your bed and do your job." She laughed.

"You just kept talking about sex." he said innocently.

"No I didn't." she laughed.

"It's been a few weeks." he pointed out.

"It has." she noted. "And unlike you I haven't been sneaking off with motel workers for sex."

"I didn't touch her or anyone else for that matter." he said seriously.

"We're just friends it's ok." She assured him.

"I know that." he said to her. "I prefer being your friend over her friend any day."

"You want to be friendly right now?" she asked and he nodded almost desperately.

AJ pulled her comforter down and Punk quickly removed his t-shirt and pulled down his sleeping shorts before crawling under the comforter with her. He cupped her chin with his fingers and kissed her and sweetly.

"Can we do this- slow?" she asked as she felt him reaching under her sleeping shirt and tugging her panties down.

"Yes." He said without thought nipping at her lips.

Punk was kissing her lips and sliding them across her jaw as he grinded against her forcing her to spread her legs slightly. Punk's hand cupped her breast as he kissed at her neck now but kept her t-shirt on her. Punk slid her top over her head leaving them both naked as he kicked off his own boxers in the midst of everything.

"I've been hard for you for two weeks." he whispered into her ear causing her stomach to tighten.

"I would have taken care of it for you." she informed him.

"Just looking at you takes care of it." he said against her cheek now as he kissed her cheek all over. "I want to do this with you every night."

"I want _you_ every night." She rasped out as she began to thrust against him even though he wasn't inside of her.

Punk's mouth trailed over her right breast and he began to suck on her hardening peck while his hand drifted in-between her thighs and began to palm and and play with her. AJ was laying there looking up at the ceiling fan slowly moving as she gasped at the soft pleasure Punk was giving her. Punk's fingers would tease and enter her briefly and pull out then he'd rub her down completely while never removing his mouth from her breast. AJ felt herself begin to sweat as he he massaged her nub until she came.

It was as if coming undone didn't affect Punk in the slightest as he just continued to play with her. She was so relaxed with his touch as he finally lifted his mouth off of her and looked at her face. She was getting eager for more now and tried to wrap her legs around his waist but he wouldn't let her.

"I thought you said slow?" he asked her. "You deserve that much."

"I don't." She said to him.

"You deserve anything you want." He informed her and her hand moved between their bodies and she began to stroke him lovingly while he continued to tease her folds with his fingers.

"So do you." She said to him. "You're such a good man and you don't even know it. You've put me before everything and I won't forget it."

"Phil." She grunted as his fingers thrust inside of her body again roughly. "Phil please."

"Please what?" he forced out then she gripped him hard and he hissed.

"Now." She demanded and he was almost afraid.

"I don't have anything." he warned her.

"I don't even care." she said to him. "Please I need you so bad it hurts."

"I don't want you to hurt." he frowned and leaned down and kissed over her right breast in search of her heart. AJ could have just cried at the action.

Punk reluctantly pulled her hands off of him and entered into her body and plunged as deep as he could. He waited a few minutes to enjoy the heath of her body and kissed the corner of her ear as a tear escaped her eye. He slowly began to rock his hips into her and she was making the most sensual sounds he had ever hear. He wanted to kiss her but he wanted to hear her too. He was moving as slow as he ever had to give her what she wanted.

"Oh fuck." she moaned. "That's-" she couldn't even get the words out as she arched her back and Punk thought it was one of the sexist things he had ever seen. She began to slowly move her hips with his and finally she grabbed his face and pulled him into a searing kiss.

Punk's hand again trailed down her body and he ran his thumb over her clit and she cried out into his kiss as she came again but Punk didn't stop and AJ thought her entire body was going to explode. He moved his hands back up her body and rolled over to she was laying on top of him and her breasts were pressed into his chest.

Her hips moved slowly and again she was working him in a way no other woman could. She kissed him as if he was the last man on earth and she had never kissed before. His arms were wrapped tightly around her body and his fingers were messing with her very long hair as he thrust up into her body to match her pace. His tattooed fingers were twirling the ends of her hair as he moved his face as he kissed her. This wasn't just a 'fuck' this was something much deeper to him and it was scaring the hell out of him, this is why he was avoiding this with her for so long.

"AJ." he rasped pulling away from the kiss. "AJ...you gotta stop..." he warned her.

AJ just grinned and cupped his face kissing him again as her hips moved a little faster now. Punk finally came and she released the kiss as the action of him coming inside of her caused her to come for a third straight time. He didn't even care what he had just done because he had just experienced something sexual he never achieved with another woman before.

"I have the injection." she said breaking the silence.

"The birth control in your arm?" he asked and she nodded as she didn't remove herself from his chest. "Good to know, wish you would have told me that earlier."

"Why's that?" She asked resting her ear over his throbbing heart.

"I would have liked to have done that earlier." he admitted and kissed the top of her head getting most of her hair.

"I'd get off of you but there won't be enough room for the two of us in these small beds." She teased.

"I'll push them together." He said simply.

"I thought you wanted to keep a clear head?" she asked.

"My head has never been more clear in my life." He laughed.

AJ carefully removed him from her body as she rolled off of him.

"Where are you going?" he frowned.

"I'm freezing." She laughed picking up the t-shirt he wore earlier and grabbing a pair of his boxers.

"You have a thing for my clothes." He laughed as he got out of the bed and slipping on his boxers and pushed it over to his.

"I like the smell of them." she shrugged. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." he said honestly as he got back in the bed. "So be honest." he began as she crawled under the blankets and over to him.

"About?" She asked.

"Wish you just did what we did with your new friend Mike?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Nah." she said to him. "He's not that kind of _friend._ "

"Good." he said almost coldly as she wrapped her arms around his one big one and rested her head against his shoulder.

* * *

Punk's eyes shot open at 2:12 am when he heard their door being kicked in. He sat right up and reached for his gun that was right on the side table but he was quickly pulled out of the bed and thrown out the rough carpet as someone dug their knee in-between his shoulder blades. Punk's head shot up as he looked for AJ desperately.

"Don't move Brooks." A familiar voice warned. "You're not in trouble stay that way."

"Phil!" AJ yelled as she felt herself being lifted from the bed. "Phil don't let them take me!" she screamed.

"Don't fucking move her!" Punk warned jumping up but John stood in his way as two FBI agents manhandled AJ.

"This is for her own good." John said to him.

"Please I don't want to go let me stay with Phil." She cried and that's when she was thrown onto the bed face down.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" Punk screamed trying to reach for her but was held back.

"It's fine." John said nodding towards one of the men holding AJ down.

Punk watched as one agent handcuffed AJ's wrists behind her back.

"Why are you arresting me?" She cried. "Phil I'm scared."

"You can't arrest her!" Punk yelled.

"She's not under arrest just relax." John warned him.

"Fuck you!" Punk screamed.

"Please Phil tell them to stop." She cried as she was clearly terrified.

"He can't help you AJ, that's what we're here to do." John said soothingly to her. "We're taking you somewhere very safe."

"I want to stay with Phil." She cried as the agents roughly pulled her to her feet.

"That's not an option Phil is going to go back to Jersey and work this case like he should have been doing this entire time, you will be with us." John said to her.

"Like hell I am!" Punk yelled. "Get the fuck off of me!" He yelled to the men holding him back.

"I really don't-" she began as one agent wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up. "No! I don't want to go!" she screamed.

"Stop!" Punk yelled tried to get to her as he watched the agent drag her out of her the room and he heard a few car doors slam and he knew it was too late.

"This is for her own good." John said to him.

"For her own good? We were doing fine!" Punk yelled as the agent released him now.

"Be grateful your captain and partner covered for your ass by saying you took a vacation." John spat. "You can't just move a witness like you did! I should have you arrested!"

"I was keeping her safe!" Punk shouted shoving John.

"It's fine." John said to the agents ready to jump Punk. "My partner is dead and I want Jake Miller arrested without anymore lives lost. Jake has killed four women since AJ has been gone-"

"You're going to sit her in New Jersey aren't you?" Punk asked disgusted. "Encourage him to come for her?"

"No. As hard as it is for you to believe I want to keep her safe just as much as you do!" John yelled at him. "I'm just doing it the right way without a lot more eyes on her! The only one going back to Jersey is you!"

"I'm going where she goes." Punk informed him.

"Good luck trying to find her." He scoffed.

"I'll find her." Punk hissed. "Then we'll leave again and believe me you'll never fucking see her again and more importantly neither with Jake Miller."

"Miller is making threats-" John began.

"I don't give a fuck what he's doing to or saying I care about her!" Punk yelled.

"And that's exactly the problem." John said with a laugh.

"You can't just cuff innocent people and drag them out of their rooms in their underwear!" Punk yelled.

"I'll do whatever the hell I have to do to keep everyone safe. I don't have tunnel vision Detective Brooks and I see the bigger picture." John said to him.

"You're going to get her killed." Punk hissed.

"You were going to get more people killed." John shot back.

"I don't care about ' _people_ ' I care about her." Punk remarked coldly.

"You and everyone else at the police station and in that town." John snorted. "I can keep her safe, other people and arrest Jake Miller."

"No you can't." Punk said disgusted.

"Listen to me, she's in excellent hands." John said calmer. "If you go back to Jersey and do your job and start acting like a real cop I'll consider letting you see her."

"Consider it?" Punk mocked. "I've been by her side since this started!"

"I think you mean you've been _inside_ of her since this started." John said to him. "There's a reason boyfriends aren't allowed to work cases involving their girlfriends."

"She's not my girlfriend." Punk shot at him and John rolled his eyes.

"Oh give me a fucking break. You've been on the run and I know you took her to Chicago, I know about Indiana as well." John remarked. "You've gone through an awful lot of trouble for a friend that you just happen to fuck."

"Ok you know what? Call her whatever you want." He laughed. "That's fine just tell me where you're bringing her."

"So you can take her and run again?" John asked. "No. She's in the protective custody of the FBI."

"Like she was the last time and your Agent couldn't protect her and got himself killed?" Punk shot at him and John's face turned red. "At least under my watch he never got near her, want to know why? I know how to do my fucking job!"

"Go back to New Jersey, help your partner work and leave AJ to me." John said to her.

"That won't ever happen." Punk said simply.

"I'll have you arrested for obstruction of justice." John warned him. "And you'll stay locked up until the case is over. I assume you'd rather work the case and bring her home rather than sitting in a cell until that happens."

"You have too much fucking power." Punk remarked.

"And don't you forget it." John added.

"Her stuff is here." Punk said quietly. "She's reading this book." He said pointing to the table.

"I'll make sure she gets it all." John said to him. "I won't let her get hurt. But you two running together painted huge targets on both of your backs. This isn't just for her protection it's for yours. I'm actually going to escort you back to Jersey personally."

"Oh I get it." Punk laughed as it all suddenly clicked and John didn't seem surprised. "I'm the way to AJ obviously you knew that, Jake Miller knows that- you want me to bait him don't you? That's why I'm being sent back to Jersey and she's being taken somewhere else."

"No comment." John said simply.

"You could have just asked." Punk said still laughing. "I would have gladly played decoy for you."

"You didn't give us a change to ask." John said to him.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do. You want me to go back to Jersey and hold up a sign that reads 'come kill me' that's fine because I'm not afraid of him but you better be fucking sure it's me he wants." Punk warned him.

"We're positive. He knows you were with AJ, he knows you two left together and he knows you won't leave her side." John said to him.

"Fine but you have to tell me where she is." Punk said to him. "I have to talk to her at least and hear for myself she's really ok."

"She's in FBI custody she's ok." John said annoyed. "It's best you don't know."

"You think I'm going to give up her location to him?" Punk asked and John remained quiet.

"A man looking to live will say or do anything." John responded finally.

"Then they're not really a man." Punk said to him. "I'd never give up her location or put her at risk."

"Spoken like a really good ' _friend_ '." John mocked. "Let's go we have a flight."

"Can I get dressed first? Or are you going to drag me out of here in my underwear too?" he asked sarcastically. "And I'm packing up her stuff and you better make sure she gets it." he warned him.

"Will do." John promised.

"How did you find us anyway?" Punk asked as he slipped on his t-shirt and put on his sweats.

"Tip from a woman that works here who saw AJ's poster." John said to him. "Came in a few hours ago."

"Maria?" Punk asked.

"That's the one." John said to him and Punk could kick himself in the ass. Of course Maria would rat on them to get the money, she needed it more than anything.

Punk spent a few minutes packing up AJ's bag and made sure to slip in one of the pre-paid phones they had and mixed it in with her clothes and prayed the FBI didn't search her bag.

"Here." Punk said giving John AJ's bag.

"Make sure this gets to Miss. Mendez's location." John said passing off her bag to a different agent.

"She's probably really scared." Punk said to him. "Just let me talk to her and tell her not to fight this, she'll listen to me."

"She'll listen to us." John said and Punk narrowed his eyes at him.

"She doesn't trust you." Punk reminded him.

"Gee I wonder why?" John asked sarcastically. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with you shitting on the FBI constantly."

"It might." Punk agreed mockingly. "Or it could have to do with the fact that you guys barge in places and toss her around like a rag doll."

"She hasn't left us many options. She's pretty stubborn." John pointed out. "I wonder why you like her so much?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'll go along with this and if you think you can keep her from me fine." Punk said to her. "But I will warn you now if anything- and I mean anything happens to her while she's under your care I swear to you I will kill you with my bare hands."

"Pretty strong friendship." John smiled unfazed by the threat. "Let's get you home."


	10. Miss You At All

**Miss You At All**

* * *

Punk was back in New Jersey the previous night and already down at the station the next morning. He even beat Shawn there who was just coming back after his accident.

"Holy crap." Shawn whistled. "I didn't even know you were back."

"John found us last night." Punk said looking at his computer screen.

"Where's April?" Shawn asked.

"I was going to ask you that." Punk said to him and Shawn frowned. "John cuffed her and had her taken out of the room."

"That idiot." Shawn muttered.

"I need you to try to get them to give up her location." Punk whispered. "The Captain is already working on it but he doesn't think he'll get much."

"Then I won't either." Shawn said to him.

"I promised I'd be there with her." Punk said to him. "I at least want to make sure she's ok. I just need to hear her say the words and I can focus on what Cena wants me to do."

"What does Cena have you doing?" Shawn asked curiously.

"He wants me to bait Jake Miller." Punk said to him. "But I can't-"

"No way." Shawn said sternly.

"It's not a big deal." Punk said to him.

"I'm not letting my partner lay down for a deranged killer." Shawn argued. "And don't say you'll be armed because so was I and I still ended up in the hospital. And believe me kid I've been doing this a lot longer than you so don't think you'd end up any different."

"If it means getting this guy then so be it." Punk shrugged. "So what if I get a few scratches."

"A few scratches? You think that's all he'll give you after taking his beloved April away from him?" Shawn mocked. "You saw what he did to Bryan and he wants to do that to you. This guy is smarter than you give him credit for."

"I'd rather bait him than have AJ to do it and I know you'd prefer it too." Punk argued.

"I'd prefer that neither of you got anywhere near him." Shawn said to him. "Because now it's gotten to the point that I not only want you safe because you're my partner and I'd hate to have to get to know a new one." he started off mockingly, but he had truly grown fond of Punk over these last few months. "But now I need to keep you in one piece for April because I promised her after her mother was killed that Jake Miller would never hurt her or anyone else she loves again."

"Woah." Punk laughed. "We're just friends."

"Yea? You two stayed up all of those nights playing board games and gossiping?" Shawn asked seriously. "Actually let me ask you something else- what did you do when you got in today?"

"I went home and changed, stopped at the vet to check on Charger and came here." Punk said to him.

"Didn't sleep? Didn't shower? Went to check on your 'friends' dog then came right here to try to get in touch with your 'friend'?" Shawn asked amused.

"Alright." Punk sighed. "I like her it's fucking obvious, happy? Now can you help me track her down?"

"Sure." Shawn said happy he got his answers. He turned in his chair and turned on his computer. "I've got some friends in Virginia I can make some calls."

"Thank you." Punk said relieved. "You should have seen how they treated her and dragged her right out of there- kicking, screaming, crying and not even dressed."

"Why wasn't she dressed?" Shawn teased. "Doing 'friendship' things?"

"Shut up." Punk groaned. "Oh fuck." he said to himself.

"Yea I was kidding I already kinda figured-" Shawn began.

"Not that." Punk said annoyed reaching into his pocket. "I slipped AJ my pre-paid phone in to her bag."

"Call it." Shawn encouraged but Punk was already dialing.

"Hello?" Punk asked anxiously as the phone stopped ringing.

"Hello." A male voice greeted and Punk rolled his eyes. "I thought I said no contact." John said to him coolly.

"Where is she?" Punk asked.

"You sound like a broken record." John noted. "She's fine and I caught her about to make a phone call. I presume it was to you."

"Just put her on the phone." Punk sighed giving in. "Let me talk to her."

"She's occupied." John said to him.

"Occupied with what?" Punk scoffed.

"Nothing that concerns you. She's in with her new guards getting better acquainted so she'll feel comfortable." John stated.

"Oh fuck that." Punk mocked.

"Don't worry they won't get as acquainted with them as she did with you." John assured him sarcastically.

"You think those kind of jokes are fucking funny?" Punk hissed into the phone.

"I laughed." John chuckled. "Just relax and get back to work." he then hung up on him.

"I'm going to punch him in the face." Punk said to Shawn.

"Didn't John fly in with you?" Shawn asked.

"Yea." Punk said to him. "And he said he caught her with the phone- she's here or damn close."

"That's a helpful clue." Shawn noted.

"I just don't get why I can't even fucking talk to her." He said annoyed. "I promised her she'd be home for Christmas."

"That's six days." Shawn whistled.

"I plan on keeping my word." Punk said seriously.

"Well let's get looking." Shawn said to him.

* * *

AJ wasn't moved to a motel or a hotel for that matter but instead a small safe house. She was less happy about that actually she just wanted to be back with Punk. She hated these new Agents, she hated John and if she couldn't be with Punk she wanted to be back home.

"You have to eat." an Agent insisted as he walked into her bedroom holding a plate of food.

"Not hungry." She remarked coldly as she read her book.

"Am I going to have to take your book away from you?" The Agent asked annoyed.

"Is this prison?" She shot at him. "And if you touch my book I'll start screaming."

"I have never been around such a miserable woman before." The agent groaned. "I mean we're doing this to protect you, do you think any of us want to be here?"

"Great we both agree that we don't want to be here so let me call my friend and he'll come get me." AJ said anxiously closing her book.

"Not happening." He said with a sign. "So at least try to eat." he said passing her the food and she reluctantly accepted it.

"How old are you anyway? You look like you're 18." she mocked.

"28" the man corrected. "I'm Agent Kevin Baker. You can call me Kevin."

"Sure." she shrugged. "Can I borrow your phone Kevin?"

"Nope." he said and she rolled her eyes.

"How far am I from home?" She asked and again he ignored her. "Do you really think this is fair to me?"

"Honestly? No." He agreed. "But I have orders to give. I'll happily keep you company."

"I don't want company." She grumbled under her breath.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I can play poker."

"I guess." AJ said as the Agent grabbed a deck of card and sat on the bed with her.

"Strip poker." he said dealing the cards.

"Excuse me?" she asked with a laugh.

"Come on." he laughed as he finished dealing the cards.

"No you can leave." AJ said getting off the bed.

"What's your problem?" He asked with a laugh. "This is the sort thing you're into isn't it?"

"No." AJ said shaking her head.

"Is it that tattoos?" Kevin questioned. "Does that do it for you?"

"I want you to leave." She demanded opened her door.

"Fine." he sighed walking to the door. "Eat though because I'd hate to have to tie you up and force you." He joked then she slammed the door after him and rested her back against it since she didn't have a lock on her door. She slid down the door as her eyes teared up and thought of Punk.

* * *

Days passed and Punk couldn't lead on either AJ or Jake Miller. It was also getting closer to his Christmas promise to AJ and he was starting to realize she wouldn't be home for it. After endless hours at work Punk was forced out of the station and headed over towards the vet to check in on Charger again.

"Do you want to take him home with you? I'm sure April wouldn't mind." the vet offered to Punk.

"Nah I won't be around during the days so much." Punk said to her as he scratched Charger's belly.

"He misses her." the vet noted.

"He's not the only one." Punk whispered under his breath.

"I'm going to be heading out for the evening someone always comes in at 2 to check in on the animals, do you mind locking up?" she asked him.

"Seriously?" Punk asked with a laugh. "This really isn't Chicago."

"Huh?" she asked.

"No go ahead I want to hang out with Charger a little longer anyway." Punk said to her.

"Have a good night." She said grabbing her jacket and purse and leaving.

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked Charger but he just didn't seem lively and Punk knew why, he missed AJ terribly. "Yea I feel the same way Charge." he groaned.

"Imagine how I feel." a voice announced.

Punk stood up slowly when he heard the voice but his back was to the strange man, he reached for his gun but he felt a gun to the back of his own head.

"Don't." the deranged voice warned and pulled Punk's gun out of his holster.

"Jake?" Punk asked.

"That's right." the voice confirmed. Punk felt the gun pressure and slowly turned around to face the man. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"I know all about you." Punk said eyeing the man who he couldn't rush due to the weapon in his hand.

"And I you." Jake said to him. "Where is she?"

"I don't know." Punk responded honestly.

"You've been with her." Jake noted. "You've been _inside_ of her."

"I have." Punk confirmed. "Feds took her."

"You know where she is." Jake said angrily.

"I don't." Punk corrected. "I've been looking for her though." he remained casual and boarder line friendly with the man capable of killing him on the spot. "You can help me if you want."

"Help you get your hands on her?" Jake scoffed.

"She's a friend." Punk noted. "She doesn't have feelings for me."

"She doesn't?" he asked.

"No." Punk said dramatically. "She's just not into me."

"I could have saved you the trouble and told you she wasn't your type from the beginning." Jake said to him. "April is a beautiful and smart woman who needs a man of intelligence to challenge and stimulate her mind and body. You didn't even make it passed your first year of college."

"You've done your homework." Punk grinned.

"You're not up to par with April." Jake added.

"Right." Punk gritted out.

"I need to find her." He said to him.

"I'm sure you do." Punk said slowly looking at the gun in his hand.

"But first you'll pay for your sins." he said to him.

"What sins have I committed?" Punk asked him.

"Touching what doesn't belong to you." Jake said to him. "Did you not hear the stories? What I do to those who dare get in-between me and April?"

"Killing her mother." Punk whistled. "You really showed her how much you loved her by doing that."

"It was meant to show her how far I'd be willing to go for her." Jake said to him. "I killed her mother if you think I won't kill a cop you're insane. Your usefulness to me expired the minute you told me you didn't know where she was and now you'll never be able to put your tattooed covered fingers on her again." Punk for the first time wasn't sure what to do but thankfully he had a few moments because Charger did as his namesake and well, charged the man.

"Fuck!" Jake yelled as Chargers teeth sunk into his arm causing him to drop the gun.

"That a boy!" Punk cheered picking up the gun and grabbing back his own. He whistled and the dog released Jake. "Well I guess this is the end for you." Punk said pointing the gun at Jake and standing over him. "Jake Miller you have the right to-" he stopped mid sentence as he felt a knife cut right through his leg.

"Ahh fuck!" Punk screamed. He hadn't even realized Jake had a knife on him as it stuck out of his ankle and Jake quickly came to his feet and ran. Punk fired shots after the fleeing man but the pain in his ankle was too strong for him to move. Charger on the other hand tried to chase after him but Punk figured when he heard Charger barking that Jake had run out the door and left Charger locked inside. "Fucking psycho piece of shit." he hissed pulling the knife out of his ankle and grabbing a towel to pressure on wound to stop the bleeding.

* * *

John walked into the ER where Punk's ankle was being wrapped and knew he was going to face his wrath.

"Great job." Punk noted sarcastically. "Baiting me was brilliant if only you were fucking there!"

"You didn't tell us where you'd be going." John noted. "How's the ankle?"

"It's fine." Punk groaned.

"We're just going to have to smoke him out." John shrugged.

"What?" Punk asked annoyed. "Everything you're thinking just stop and do the opposite because you're a fucking idiot and nothing ever works."

"Do you want to see her?" John asked and his head shot up.

"Are you messing with me?" Punk asked him.

"I think it would be safer to have you under protection as well." John said to him.

"I'm not going under protection." Punk scoffed.

"Then I guess you're not going to see April." John shrugged. "Shame."

"Shame?" Punk asked.

"She's not adjusting." John noted. "She hasn't eaten, she's giving the guards a hard time."

"She doesn't like being treated like a prisoner when she's the victim. Can't say I blame her." Punk said to him. "Let me see her and talk to her but I won't stay. If you give me a few hours with her I assure you she'll be a perfect prisoner for you." He remarked sarcastically.

"Fine." John said to him. "If we leave now we'll make it before she goes to bed."

"We have to make a stop first." Punk said to him.

"Where?" John asked.

"I'm bringing Charger. He'll lift her spirits." Punk said to him and he nodded.

"Fine." John agreed. "But let's get moving."

* * *

When Punk and John approached the house they could hear arguing and Charge was already tense hearing AJ.

"Give me a minute." John said pulling his gun.

"I'm a cop too." Punk hissed reaching for his own gun.

"Yea with a limp." John spat.

"A limp because of the incompetence of the FBI." Punk whispered back at him.

"Just stay out here." John said slowly opening the door but Punk was right behind him.

"It's fine." John said putting his gun away. "What's this?" he asked his Agent and April.

"He's a disgusting pig!" AJ yelled pointing at Kevin.

"She's a bitch!" Kevin yelled.

"Woah." John said walking towards them.

"I was only-" she started but when she saw her dog Charger running to her she fell to her knees. "Charger!" she squealed as the dog kissed her face. "Oh Charger I've missed you." she said as the dog crawled over her and continued to kiss her.

"Surprise." John smirked.

"Best surprise ever." she said happily then looked up and saw Punk. "Ok second best surprise ever." she said jumping to her feet and running into his waiting arms.

"Hi AJ." He grinned holding her tightly.

"Is it over?" she asked pulling away with hopeful eyes. "Did you get him?"

"No." Punk frowned and her face fell.

"Detective Brooks just wanted to bring Charger by and talk to you." John said to him.

"Can we do that in private?" she asked glaring at Kevin.

"Sure." John said to him. "Come on." he said nodding for the younger agent to follow him out.

"What's going on?" Punk asked once they were out the door.

"I've missed you." she announced happily.

"No with him." Punk clarified. "We thought you were in trouble you were yelling so loud."

"I don't like that agent." She said disgusted as Charger scratched at her leg for attention. "Does Charger get to stay?"

"Yea." Punk said watching her play with the dog. "John told me you're not eating, you're being difficult-"

"I hate it here Phil." she said annoyed. "They treat me like a prisoner!"

"How so?" he asked.

"It's not important." She said shaking her head.

"AJ talk to me." He insisted.

"I don't want to talk Phil." she said standing up.

"AJ what's happening?" he asked her.

"The Agents are rude." She said to him. "They keep trying to force me into eating food that I don't even like! That's why I'm not eating. And the one I was arguing with makes the most inappropriate jokes I have ever had said to me."

"What's his name?" Punk asked.

"Kevin something." she mumbled. "I don't want to talk about him I want to talk to you."

"I'm sorry I didn't keep my Christmas promise." he said looking down at her face and gently lifting her chin so she was looking up at him.

"It's going to be Christmas Eve in a few minutes and if you stick around I won't be spending Christmas alone." She noted. "It's not about being home for the holidays I just didn't want to spend another Christmas alone."

"Maybe John will take pity on me and let me spend Christmas with you." Punk smirked. "I don't think I want to be home alone either. Even though Shawn did invite me to his place."

"You should go." She encouraged. "Shawn's Christmas parties are legendary."

"I wouldn't have a good time knowing you were here alone." She said to him.

"I wouldn't be alone." she said to him. "I have Charger and Agent Asshole."

"I'll talk to John about that." Punk said to her. "It's bad enough you're here against your will but I don't want you uncomfortable on top of that."

"How much time do you think we have until John gets back?" she asked him as he laced his fingers with hers.

"I'd say a good thirty minutes." he said with a sly grin.

"Thirty?" she asked and he nodded as she reached up and gently kissed him.

"Plenty of time. If they come back in I'll just kick them out." Punk assured her and she deepened the kiss.

AJ pulled his face down low as he wrapped his arm around her waist and Charger began to bark.

"You'll get her for good after this." Punk scolded the dog. "This is my time don't be selfish." AJ giggled at the comment. "Where is your room?"

"It's down the hall." she said grabbing his hand and leading him down the hall. She turned her head and saw him limping. "What happened?" she asked as she opened her bedroom door.

"Nothing I twisted it." he said closing her door. "No lock?"

"No." She said annoyed.

Punk pulled his jacket off and grabbed AJ and pressed her against his chilly body. Punk was back to kissing AJ and when she jumped into his arms he hissed in pain slightly as all of her weight was on him and his ankle. She quickly pulled away and jumped down out of his arms.

"What happened?" she asked bending over and lifted his jeans slightly. "There's blood!"

"It's not important." Punk said pulling her attention back to his face.

"It is important you're in pain!" she argued lifted his jeans again to look at it. "Where you cut?"

"AJ please I am in pain but not in my ankle." he groaned.

"Tell me the truth." She said looking up at him.

"I got stabbed, ok?" He said to her. "Now let's get-"

"By Jake?" she asked. "How could you not find that important enough to tell me!"  
"It's fine AJ. I needed a few stitches." Punk said to her. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know that I let him get away."

"You let him get away after stabbing you? You think I'd judge you for that?" she asked him hurtfully.

"Charger saved my life actually." Punk admitted. "He was waiting for me at the Vets where I had been going every night to check in on Charger. He surprised me and he probably needs a lot more stitches than I needed thanks to Charger."

"I'm so sorry." she cried.

"Don't be ok." he said quickly. "It's ok. It's just my ankle."

"Phil I-" she started.

"Baby please." he cooed. "We don't have a lot of time. I don't want to spend this limited talking about that guy."

"Are you sure you're ok?" She sniffled looking down at the bandaged ankle.

"Yes." he assured her lifting her head so she was looking in his eyes.

Punk kissed her sweetly and backed her into the bed until they both fell onto it. Punk was eager and removed her t-shirt and bra. He was quick to kiss in-between her breasts and his mouth slid over to her left nipple and placed open mouth kisses over it and sucked gently. He looked up and saw AJ was crying a little and frowned.

"AJ." he said sadly.

"I'm sorry you got hurt." she sobbed and he kissed her cheek.

"I'm not hurt." he assured her. "I'm cut."

"He's going to kill you like he did my mother." She cried. "The only other person in my life who has tried to protect me besides her is you and he's going to kill you for that."

"He's not going to." he said kissing her cheek still, trying to stop her tears.

"I couldn't stand it if he-" she started.

"He won't." he assured her.  
"Don't stop." She said sniffling.

"AJ I can't do this if you're crying." He said to her.

"I'm ok." she said stopping her tears.

"And so am I." He said to her and she gave him a weak smile.

AJ grabbed his face and kissed him. AJ's hand moved to the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head only briefly breaking the kiss to fully remove it. They were now both bare from the waist up and they were making out like teenagers. Punk's erection was growing and AJ could feel it poking into her stomach and that reminded her that she wanted more than kissing. Her fingers moved to his jeans and unbuttoned them and ran down the zipper. He never stopped kissing her even when she tugged his jeans down slightly and began to stroke him lovingly.

Punk kicked off his jeans and boxers the rest of the way and finally began to tug her pants down her thin thighs and legs and his hand was palming her slowly as she continued to kiss him. Their tongues were dueling and they were touching each other in just the right ways. His fingers were glistening from her body's juice as she waited for him to push this along. Two of his thick digits slipped in between her folds and oh, how he had missed that feeling of being in her body. His kissed continued as he pulled his fingers out of her and placed his arms under her knees and spread her as far as she could go.

Punk was inside of her in a few seconds and he didn't make a move as the contact caused her to gasp. Her mouth was open but nothing was coming out so he took advantage and ran his tongue over her slightly parted lips and bit and tugged on her bottom lip. His hips began to move and his chest was pressed into hers so he was as close as possible to her. He wasn't sure how comfortable she was in this position but she wasn't complaining. He still kissed her and the fact that he could he feel himself inside of her against his own stomach since she was so skinny only aroused him more. He wasn't sure he'd last but he decided right then and there he'd extend this 'brief' trip for a few more days.

AJ felt her stomach begin to tighten after a few minutes and she was tearing again but not from fear but absolute pleasure. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck and she pulled from the kiss as she cried out loudly. "Yes!" she screamed as her orgasm was so close she could almost taste it.

"So fucking perfect." he groaned as he buried his face against the side of hers in her hair. "Fuck AJ." he growled as she clenched over him. "That's so fucking good baby."

AJ took a mental note of him calling her 'baby' twice and would bring it up later but right now she needed her release and thanks to Punk it was coming sooner rather than later. Punk's thrusts were still slow but they were getting harder and harder until she finally came. Punk kept pushing into her spread and open body and a moment later he came as well. Punk released her legs but she couldn't even feel them anymore.

"How is it always better?" Punk asked her as his head rested over her breast as he caught his breath. "I mean it just always gets better."

"That was so good." AJ said breathing heavy and he kissed he lifted his head to look at her. He kissed her lips again and was still inside of her as he deepened the kiss. "Can you please stay for Christmas?"

"Yes." He said in-between the kiss.

"Can we do this again?" she teased.

"Fuck yea." he promised.

"Phil." she warned as his lips slipped and were at her neck now. She was arching slightly as he began to nibble there. "Phil don't start something you can't finish."

"I'm getting hard again." he warned her. "I'll finish."

Punk quickly sat up without leaving her body or parting his lips from her skin and he was sitting up with her now in his lap. His hands roamed her back and his hips were already moving as she dropped her head back and began to breathe heavily. Punk was leaving wet opened mouth kissed directly down the middle of her throat as he hips began to move with his. Her nails were dug into his shoulders as she cried out repeatedly. Charger began to bark and that's when they realized they weren't alone anymore.

"Fuck." Punk hissed picking up his pace. "You have to stay really quiet." he warned her.

"Phil I can't." she cried dropping her head so her forehead was resting against his. "You're just so good."

"I know." he said trying not to sound smug. "They'll come in here and check on you just-"

"God Phil!" She cried out as he hit into her perfectly.

Punk's fingers threaded into her hair and he covered her mouth with his to quiet her cries. His hips now moved so fast AJ came almost instantly and she screamed into his kiss. Punk moved his lips away from hers and her head fell onto his shoulder as he pushed into her until he came a few minutes later. He laid her back down in the bed and carefully pulled out of her.

"Don't go." She said rolling onto her side watching as he quickly got dressed.

"I'm not." he said to her zipping his jeans up. "At least not until after Christmas."

"Phil there's blood on the floor." AJ frowned looking at her white sheets that now had blood.

"It's bleeding through a little not a big deal." he said looking at his ankle.

AJ jumped out of the bed and grabbed her robe and tied it around her body.

"Just wait here."

"Where are you going?" he asked watching her walk to the door.

"Just sit there." she said to him.

The minute she stepped outside both Kevin and John were looking at her.

"I need the first aid kit." she said to them.

"What did you do to him?" Kevin laughed.

"Get her the kit." John ordered glaring at him.

"You didn't mention Jake stabbing him." AJ said to John.

"It only just happened." John said to her.

"Here." Kevin said passing her the kit.

"He's staying for a little his ankle is bad and it's Christmas." She informed them.

"I figured as much." John said to her. "Kevin will be here with you two if you need anything."

"Phil will love that." AJ said shooting Kevin a glare then walking back into her room only this time Charger snuck in with her as well.


	11. Christmas

**Christmas**

* * *

The next morning Punk woke before AJ and saw Charger sitting by the dinner and clearly he had to go to the bathroom. Punk decided to be a gentleman and dress and let Charger out so AJ could have some sleep. Punk had more than enough sleep, 6 hours was the most sleep he had gotten since AJ was whisked away to the safe house. He threw on his clothes from last night and quietly opened her door and Charger ran right out. Punk walked over to the front door and let him run out knowing he wouldn't go far and there were no neighbors to complain about a dog off leash.

"We picked up his dog food." Agent Kevin said from the couch as he drank some coffee.

"Good." Punk said watching Charger from the door. "Stop talking to AJ the way that you do."

"Excuse me?" Kevin asked with a laugh.

"She told me how you're fucking nasty to her when you're not you're making inappropriate jokes. I get that you're new but you show her some fucking respect or I'll teach you about respect." he threatened.

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood." Kevin defended swallowing a lump in his throat.

"How about you just be nice to her and she'll be nice to you and you won't have to worry about the mood?" Punk suggested. "Act like a professional while she's under your care because if something happens to her or you upset her again we're going to have a huge problem."

"I was just messing around." Kevin defended. "Look there's always a bunch of us here but sometimes it still gets lonely." He defended with a shrug and Punk looked towards him.

"So?" Punk asked.

"I miss my life too you know." Kevin said to him. "This isn't something I want to be doing day in and day out."

"Then why did you sign up to be an FBI agent?" Punk asked him.

"I didn't think babysitting a spoiled little prude was going to be my first major task." Kevin admitted and Punk narrowed his eyes at him. "Maybe you didn't mind it because you got something out of it."

"Don't you get a fucking paycheck?" Punk spat. "What do you want out of it Agent? You're lonely and you expect to be rewarded by the victim for doing your fucking job? You thought you'd come up here and get laid every night? What fucking planet are you from?"

"Worked for you." Kevin shrugged.

"This isn't a fucking game!" Punk yelled. "This is her life that is in your hands! And she's spoken for so fuck off."

"John said you two were friends. If I had known you two were dating-" he began.

"Don't listen to anything that moron says you listen to me." Punk hissed.

"Heard that." John said walking into the room.

"I want him out of here." Punk said to John. "I want an Agent with her that isn't thinking with his dick."

"You're one to talk." John shot at him.

"You know what? I knew her being here was a bad idea." Punk laughed as Charger ran back into the house and over to a waiting water dish. Punk slammed the door and looked at John.

"I'm leaving and I'm taking her with me and you try to force her to stay or do something shady again like cuff her and treat her like a criminal again I'll call your boss, I'll call your bosses boss and best of all I'll call the media." he said smugly. "I'll inform the media how the FBI has used their power to bully a young woman who is being stalked by a serial killer after watching her mother die."

"I'll get rid of Kevin." John said giving in.

"What?" Kevin asked.

"Happy now?" John asked Punk mockingly.

"Very." Punk spat out.

"I think we should talk." John started.

"We have plenty of time to talk later. I plan on being here until tomorrow." he told him.

"No." John smirked. "I said a few hours and gave you an entire night."

"And now I'm telling you she's not spending Christmas alone and I'm staying." Punk said simply. "We can talk on the way home- on the 26th."

"Phil?" AJ asked sticking her head out of the bedroom.

"I'll be right in." Punk said shooting her smile then glared toward Cena. "You ok with all of this?"

"Does it matter if I'm not?" John asked annoyed.

"Fair." Punk shrugged and passed him as he headed back into AJ's room.

* * *

AJ was in her robe sitting at her desk applying the minimal makeup she wear when he came back in.

"Where's Charger?" She asked.

"He already went for a walk and is eating." He told her.

"Good." She said happily. "How's your ankle?"

"It's good." Punk said to her looking down at the bandage AJ put on for him last night. "You did a great job."

"Thanks." she snorted. "What were you yelling about out there?"

"I was yelling at Kevin then Cena." Punk told her honestly. "Kevin is leaving."

"Really?" she asked with a smile and he nodded.

"Yup. He'll be gone so you don't have to worry about him anymore." Punk assured her.

"Thank you." She said relieved. "He creeped me out."

"Yea I can see why." Punk said sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Did John say if you could stay?" AJ asked him.

"I don't ask John's permission for anything." Punk scoffed. "I told him I was staying thru tomorrow and he didn't argue."

"I didn't even get you anything for Christmas." She said to him.

"I haven't gotten a Christmas present since I was 12." He laughed.

"That's so sad." She frowned. "But your family-"

"When my birth parents got arrested I told my quote on quote adoptive family I didn't want gifts." he said to her. "They always ignored me and got me something but I never accepted them. I'm not big on Christmas."

"Christmas was a really big deal in my house. My mom and I would decorate the tree and listen to Christmas music as he we decorated the entire house. Then we'd bake cookies and watch out favorite holiday movies." AJ grinned from ear to ear describing the memory.

"That sounds nice." Punk smiled. "Sorry you're stuck here."

"At least you're with me." She said to him. "I don't need all of that it's just a hard holiday for me and to not be alone makes me feel better."

"Good." he said to her. "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm allowed to do something?" She asked with a laugh.

"Sure are." He said to her. "You've got the best security detail in the world." he grinned.

"Well there's this little coffee shop-" she stopped mid-sentence and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What coffee shop?" He asked warily.

"Nothing." She said quickly looking back

"April." he said in a warning voice.

"I sometimes sneak out." she admitted.

"Oh really?" Punk asked dramatically.

"For just an hour. I go down to this coffee shop it has books and I sit there and have a cup of coffee and read a few pages of a book." she defended quickly.

"So when you say sneak out you mean without security?" he asked her.

"Yes." She whispered.

"April..." he trailed off.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" she asked him.

"Because I'm trying to remain calm even though I'm incredibly angry." he forced out with a fake smile. "You know better."

"Do you know what it's like to have someone watch your every move?" she asked him. "How intrusive it is? How even though you're surrounded by people but you're still the loneliest person in the room?" she questioned. "I just needed a little time a day for myself."

"Ok." He said to her. "Can you not do that anymore?" he asked her.

"I can't promise that." She said to him.

"AJ I've seen this guy, I've spoken to him and he's deadly." he warned her.

"I know. I've watched him murder two people." AJ reminded him coldly. "I'm well aware of what he is capable of but I'm willing to the risk because if I sat in this house 24/7 I'd go insane!"

"Ok, ok." he said quickly. "How do you get out?"

"I go right out my window." She shrugged. "I tell them I'm taking a bath and they leave me alone for that amount of time at least."

"How far is it?" he asked.

"Just a fifteen minute walk through the woods." She said to him.

"The woods?" he asked with a chuckle.

"It's fine." She said to him and he just nodded. "I don't think you'll make it there on a bum ankle though."

"Probably not." Punk agreed. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." She smiled standing up and walking over to take a seat on his lap. "Like I said just not being alone means the world to me. I've got my dog and my best friend here with me." she said kissing his cheek. "This is the best Christmas I've had in seven years."

"Best friend huh?" He teased.

"Well don't be too flattered. I don't have many options." She teased.

"I accept the honor." he said to her and kissed her lips sweetly. "I need to shower." he then moved her gently off of his lap. "Think about something fun we could do."

"Will do." She said to him.

* * *

After getting dressed and making sure her hair and makeup was perfect she came out to check on Charger and saw John sitting at the kitchen counter.

"Kevin already gone?" AJ asked.

"He is." John confirmed sipping coffee. "Why didn't you tell me he was being inappropriate?"

"Because you would take his side." AJ shrugged.

"I'm here on Christmas because I am on your side." John pointed out. "I'm not here to be a jerk or torture you I'm just trying to help you. I know you don't really remember me but I worked your mom's case. I was a rookie at the time."

"You did?" She asked pouring herself a cup.

"I did. I'll never forget that night. It was one of my first nights actually and I was with Shawn when he found you in the closet." John admitted. "I wanted to work this case because I froze that night. I was no help to Shawn or you."

"I don't blame you." AJ said to him. "It's understandable."

"I just want to right that wrong and make this go away for you." he said to her. "Let me help you."

"I am." She said to him. "It's not easy for me either. I'm doing the best I can."

"We all are." John said to her. "I feel like I'm fighting a battle with Punk over you and still trying to fight off Jake Miller."

"He's worried about me." AJ said to him. "We're good friends."

"Good friends." he laughed. "I just don't believe that."

"Believe it." she said to him.

"So after all of this is over you two are going back to Jersey and what? That's it? You two just continue to be 'friends' and date other people?" John asked with a laugh.

"I don't know. I don't want to think about the future." she said to him. "I just want to live in the moment."

"I really want to do something special for the holiday are you staying or is someone else coming?" She asked him.

"You got me until they find someone to replace Kevin." John said to her.

"I want to cook a big dinner but I need food." She said to him.

"You need me to go out and pick up food for a romantic friendly dinner?" John asked her.

"You're invited too. No one should be alone on the holiday." She said to him. "Unless you want to lend me your car so I can go pick up the food." She offered anxiously.

"Make a list and I'll go." John smirked.

"So what about your family?" AJ asked. "How's your dad doing?"

"He's alright. He's in Virginia too." John said to her. "Your dad still keeps in touch with him."

"I figured." AJ snorted. "No one to spend the holiday with?"

"Nah I don't have any good friends like Punk has. I'm busy with work." John told her.

"You need to have a life. Maybe you wouldn't be so stiff." AJ shrugged as she wrote out a list.

"Thanks." John laughed.

"Here." She said passing him the list. "Thanks. And as for behaving I'll try more."

"That's all I ask." John said standing up and grabbing his keys. "I just want you to not live in fear, my entire life as of right now is dedicated to you." he said to her and she smiled faintly.

"How nice." Punk grinned walking out of the bedroom.

"I'm leaving for an hour." John told Punk who just nodded.

"What was that about?" Punk asked her.

"He just wants me to try a little harder." AJ said to him. "He really is trying."

"He's fantastic." Punk remarked sarcastically and watched as AJ poured him a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

"He's going to the grocery store so I can cook a big dinner tonight." she informed him and his eyes lit up.

"AJ's home cooking." He said with a smile. "I've missed it."

"Yup me, you, Charger and John." She announced and his face fell.

"John?" Punk asked.

"I cant' have a big meal and not feed him." She laughed. "That would be rude."

"Wouldn't want to be rude." He forced out.

"Why don't you try with him?" She suggested.

"Because I don't like the way he operates and I don't trust him." Punk admitted. "There's something wrong about him. He's unethical, he's a liar and he has a stupid haircut."

"Oh stop." She laughed almost spitting out her coffee.

"I'm not here to spend time with John." He reminded her. "I'm here to hang out with you."

"You can help me cook." She offered.

"Sounds fun." He smirked. "By the way I found these clothes mixed in with your stuff."

"Oh yea some of your stuff got mixed in with mine when they gave me my bag. I hope you don't mind I wear a lot of to bed." she said to him.

"Don't mind at all." Punk said feeling some sense of pride.

* * *

Punk helped AJ prepare dinner but he really just sat there and watched her cook it all. All the food she made looked amazing and if John wasn't sitting across from him instead of AJ it would have been the perfect night. AJ was at the head of the table in-between the two. Punk glared at him for most of the dinner while John spoke to AJ for a lot of it. They were talking about high school and towns people he hadn't even met yet.

"I think I'll take Charger out." Punk said throwing his napkin on the table.

"You can't walk on your ankle." AJ frowned. "I'll take him."

"I'll take him." John laughed. "Come on Charger." he said slapping his hands together but the dog completely ignored him.

"He doesn't like you." Punk grinned and whistled and sure enough Charger was up and waiting at Punk's feet. "My ankle is good now." He said to AJ.

"Why don't you go on with him?" John suggested. "I'll clean up."

"You don't mind? That would be so nice." She smiled as Punk rolled his eyes as he slipped on his jacket.

"Not at all. You cooked I'll clean." John said clearing the plates.

AJ grabbed her jacket and stepped outside in the dark night with Punk and Charger.

"You were so quiet during dinner." AJ noted. "Is everything ok?"

"Yup." He forced out as he tucked his hands into his pocket and watched as Charger jogged ahead of them.

"I know you don't like him." AJ began. "But he's really not that bad."

"Do I have to worry about this?" he asked her bluntly.

"Worry about what?" AJ asked confused.

"The two of you." he clarified. "He'll be here until he gets a replacement and you two have a lot in common-"

"You're jealous." She laughed.

"I'm not jealous." He snorted. "Ok maybe a little." he admitted bitterly and she smiled wide and wrapped her arms around his one large one.

"You have nothing to worry about." She said to him. "We're just friends."

"That's what we keep telling people." Punk pointed out.

"You're the only friend I've had in my entire life with this kind of 'friendship'." she assured him.

"When this is all over and I've said it before- I want to do things right with you." He said with her. "I want to take you out and hangout."

"I'd really like that." She smiled.

"Until then though..." he trailed off.

"We're going to tell everyone we're friends when we're really more?" she asked.

"I was going to say not mess around with other people." Punk shrugged.

"Who am I going to mess around with?" she asked amused.

"Captain America for one." Punk spat.

"Stop." She laughed.

"I can't wait for all of this to be over so I can be normal with you." he said to her keeping his eyes on Charger the entire time.

"You mean like I can see your place?" She asked him.

"It's not much to see but sure." He smirked.

"We could hold hands?" she asked.

"I can do that now." he said pulling his hand out of his pocket and lacing his fingers with hers.

"How have you not been scared off?" She asked seriously.

"You scare the crap out of me." Punk admitted with a laugh. "Not the crazy killer following you around."

"You think I'm crazy?" She teased.

"No you scare me because I've never felt had a connection with a woman like you before." Punk confided. "You're beautiful, you hate all of the same things I hate, you love all of the same things I love, you're easy to talk to and we connect on a physical level that I can't even describe."

"So it's not just about the sex to you?" she asked him.

"The sex is fantastic." He blurted out. "But I'm more interested in the entire package. The entire tiny, gorgeous, emotional and caring package." Punk looked down and saw her eyes were on Charger. "I kind of put myself out there for you." he noted. "I'm feeling a little foolish."

"Don't." She whispered. "Take me back inside." she said turning to look at him.

"I feel like your body will have a glass to the door." He smirked.

AJ leaned up and kissed him sweetly. Punk forgot about the cold as he wrapped his arms around her waist and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She pulled away to catch her breath and looked up at him.

"No." She said to him.

"No?" he asked with a laugh. "No what?"

"We're nothing more than friends." She informed.

"AJ-" he began.

"Come on Charger!" she shouted and he came running to her then ran inside leaving a confused Punk outside.

* * *

Punk stormed inside after pacing for a few minutes and John was still in the kitchen cleaning when he entered AJ's room without even knocking.

"I'm getting changed." She said standing in only a pair of leggings and a bra.

"I've seen it all." He scoffed slamming the door behind him. "What the fuck did you mean by no? I laid my heart out there for you- you've done the same to me. Is this like a payback thing? Are you just messing with me?"

"Phil-" she started.

"No?" he asked mockingly. "What do you want from me? Do you find your buddy Nick to be a better pick for you? Do you think I'm lying? Please fucking explain to me what we've been doing for months and why you don't want something more?!"

"Because I'm scared!" She yelled at him. "The minute Jake is behind bars again I want everything you talked about, I want you to take me out to dinner, I want to hold hands and watch movies at your place! I want to be more than your friend! But until then no."

"Why?" he asked slowly trying to remain calm.

"Because if I let this final wall down and something happens to you..." she trailed off. "I can't even think about it."

"You don't have to think about it." Punk said to her with a laugh. "Nothing is going to happen."

"Your ankle." She reminded him nodding towards the wound.

"My ankle? I've gotten worse." He assured her placing his hands on her torso and tugging her against him. "Don't make me beg." he teased.

"You'd do that?" She asked curiously.

"I'd get down on my head and knees." he admitted honestly. "Don't take away my manhood here. Unless you really just aren't into me that way and if that's the case I'm not-"

"It's not the case." She assured him cutting him off. "I just have this terrible feeling that I can't shake."

"Shake it off." he said to her. "Jake is one more screw up away from a lethal injection."

"If we make this 'official' they'll take you off the case." She noted. "Actually that's not a bad idea..."

"No one has to know until it's over. But let's be real we've been like this since day one." he informed her.

"I think everyone knows." She smirked.

"Well let's make it real loud so John knows for sure." he teased waggling his eyebrows.

Punk kissed her and lifted her slightly then carried her over to the large armchair in the room and sat down with her on his lap. She was ravishing his mouth and began to sway her hips against him. Punk's hands wandered her bare back and over her bra buckle but didn't bother to remove it. Punk's one hand moved to her front and slipped into her pants and began to tease her over her panties.

AJ's lips moved off of her lips and kissed his jawline until she reached behind his ear and kissed over his pulse point. Punk jerked up into her at the feel of her nibbling on him there and noted that was a sweet spot for him. Inside of her pants he pushed her panties to the side and his thumb began to rub circles around her causing her to nibble harder on him. AJ's hips moved faster against his touch as he continued to tease and massage her. She moved her lips away and kissed the tip of his nose and looked into his eyes as he made her cum so easily.

"Do you have any idea how hot it makes me when the simplest of touches make you come undone?" he asked her and nipped at her lips.

"You're the only man in the world who could do this to me." She whispered.

"Take your pants off." he ordered.

AJ climbed off of him and instead of rushing out of her pants she put on a short show and slowly slid her pants down and was in her bra and underwear. Punk watched as she left the under garments on and dropped to her knee's before him and tugged at his sweats and pulled them with his boxers down. Punk sat back in the chair and felt her rub her hands hands up and down his thighs.

"AJ you don't have to- I'd much rather have you on me." he insisted.

"You're hurt." she pointed out.

"I'm not." He corrected then felt her hands begin to stroke him. "Ok well maybe a little. My ankle does hurt a little." he remarked innocently watching her carefully.

AJ ran her tongue around his tip as she stroked him then placed her mouth over his head and sucked gently. Punk's hands moved to her hair and he held it behind her head so he could watch her and she didn't have anything blocking her way. Her mouth would take him deeper and deeper and Punk's hips would move into her mouth gently.

"Ok now." he said pulling her mouth away. "That was more than enough."

"I wasn't finished." She frowned. "Did you not like it?"

"Yea I fucking liked it but the problem is I was about to finish." Punk pointed out. "Get up here please." he said tapping his knee and she stood up and straddled his lap.

Punk couldn't wait to have her lips on his again and wasted no time when he pushed her panties to the side. AJ's hands moved to his shaft and guided him inside of her. Her hips moved over him and he joined in matching pace. Their hands were all over unsure of where to do leave with them and her pace picked up rapidly.

"Yea." she moaned repeatedly as his nails dug into her hips to keep her steadily moving over him. "That's so good." she moaned.

"Louder." He hissed slamming into her just as hard.

"Phil!" She screamed. "Oh my god Phil!" she cried.

"Thatta girl." he said proudly.

"Yes!" she cried even louder and that only encouraged him.

Punk's hand moved to her clit and with one hand on her hip, the other one ran over clit roughly until she clenched him tightly and he felt her dribble down him and her juices fall onto his thighs. Without disconnecting their bodies he lifted her off of the chair and dropped her onto the bed. He moved both of her legs over his shoulders and thrust into her harder than he ever had before. He rested his right knee on the bed since he had the bum ankle and his left leg was firmly on the floor for leverage.

AJ's entire body was vibrating as he plowed into her roughly and she was now falling out of her bra. Her hands fisted the bed sheets as she whimpered constantly. Punk couldn't keep his eyes off of her face and even though her eyes were closed that what's he was looking at. He wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting her which he knew he wasn't but he could watch her for days. Her body was so slick already that he slid in and out of her with unbelievable ease.

"That's it!" she shouted. "Oh god Phil that's it!"

"Go ahead baby." he encouraged. "One more time."

"Fuck!" she screamed out as she came again and her body was shattered. Punk came a few thrusts later and he pulled out of her body and released her legs.

"I didn't hurt you, right?" he asked.

"No." She said deliriously happy. "Three is becoming my new favorite number." She teased.  
"When we get back home and we don't have to worry about people listening I'll bump that number up." he promised.

"Impossible." She laughed and his eyes widened.

"Don't challenge me." He grinned. "I can get you off five times before I get off once."

"Sure." she laughed sitting up and adjusted her panties back.

"Remember this conversation because it's going to happen." He warned her.

"I have to shower again." she said to him. "And feed Charger."

"You shower I'll feed Charger." Punk offered sitting up himself now.

"He can have some of the turkey I made." she said to him and he nodded as he avoided his boxers and just pulled up his sweats. "Wait!" She said on her hands and knees and crawled to the edge of the bed. "It's after midnight, Merry Christmas." he leaned down and gave her a Christmas kiss and his hand couldn't help but trail down her spine and slip behind her panties again and give her right butt cheek a pinch causing her to giggle.

"Merry Christmas indeed." he grinned. "Maybe hold off on that shower."

"Phil." She warned.

"I need a shower too." he defended innocently.

"Hurry back." She insisted.

* * *

Punk stepped outside and Charger was waiting at the door and ran into the kitchen and to his empty food dish.

"Sorry buddy." Punk said grabbing the leftovers out of the refrigerator.

"You're still leaving after Christmas." he heard John say as he walked in behind Punk.

"I know." Punk said not even looking at him.

"You still-" he began.

"Shut the fuck up and stop telling me what I have to do. You worry about your job and I'll worry about mine." Punk shot at him.

"Jake is going to want to try to kill you again." John warned him. "This time we'll be waiting."

"Great." Punk remarked. "I hope it's not that Agent Kevin douche. If that's the case I'll take my own chance."

"Nope not him." John said to him. "You are going to have a 24 hour Agent attached to your hip."

"No fucking way." Punk laughed.

"You also can't come back here." John warned him. "We can't risk Jake following you here."

"So I'm going to be under 24 hour surveillance while you get to hang out here and fawn over AJ knowing I can't come back here?" Punk asked with a laugh. "How convenient." he mocked.

"You have it all wrong. I won't be here with AJ I'm your 24 hour surveillance." He informed him with a laugh. "Get used to me pal, we're going to be spending a lot of time together." he laughed slapping his shoulder then walking away.


	12. Into the Woods

**Into the Woods**

* * *

Punk was back in Jersey the day after Christmas with his new shadow Agent Cena. He literally went everywhere Punk went including the bathroom and it was driving him crazy.

"How was April?" Shawn asked as Punk sat at his desk and John sat behind him at the empty desk.

"They had a great time." John answered and Punk rolled his eyes. "At least I heard AJ did."

"Shut up." Punk muttered as he looked at his computer. "She's happy to have Charger with her." he told Shawn.

"When everything settles and AJ comes home, and it will happen soon Cheryl wants you both over for dinner." Shawn said to him.

"A double date." John grinned.

"Shut the fuck up." Punk snapped at John who was purposely trying to annoy him. "That sounds nice." he said in a much friendly voice.

"So after the vet stabbing Jake was spotted getting on a bus, he could be long gone." Shawn told Punk.

"He'll be back." John said before Punk could respond. "And if he took a bus out of town then he's given up on AJ."

"He didn't give up on her maybe he figured out where she is and is on his way there." Punk said to John.

"I get an update every half hour." John said to him. "She's fine."

"If he's not in town then you really don't have to be up my ass anymore." Punk snapped at him. "Maybe you should go to AJ's safe house."

"I think he'll back track."John said to him. "He got spooked but he'll be back."

"You're the Jake Miller expert." Shawn snorted.

"Do your agents know that Jake Miller is on the run?" Punk asked him.

"The agents with AJ are fully capable and prepared to protect her." John said to him.

"I didn't like them." Punk grumbled as he reached for his cell phone.

"Why the hell not?" John snapped.

"Maybe because you're last agent with her was more interested in screwing the witness rather than protecting her." Punk shot at him.

"You met with the agents, you grilled them, you threatened them what more could you possibly want?" John asked him.

"Maybe if Miller is out of town it's best we bring April back here with us." Shawn suggested to John.

"AJ is safe exactly where is." John promised him as Punk dialed a number. "Who are you calling?"

Punk just gave John an annoyed look and listened to the phone ring.

"Hey AJ." Punk greeted and John rolled his eyes. "Yea...really?" he asked with a goofy grin then remembered John was listening. "Look do me a favor and stay in...no everything is ok just until you hear back from...yea I'm fine...no not even for that." he said quietly to make sure John didn't pick up on anything. "...yea I'll call you and let you know. Alright, you too." he then hung up.

"How did that just happen?" John asked him annoyed.

"I gave her my phone while I was there." Punk shrugged.

"You're not-" John started.

"Shut up." Punk said cutting him off.

"And why did you ask her to stay in?" John questioned.

"I meant with walking Charger." Punk said to him but he was clearly talking about her sneaking off habits that she confided to him about. "You know what? I think we should go back there." he said standing up.

"I'll come with." Shawn offered also standing up. "Him being out of town, her being out of town-"

"There's no connection." John argued not moving from his seat.

"I'd feel better being there." Punk said to him and John shook his head in annoyance.

"Of course you'd feel better being there." he remarked sarcastically. "Most men would."

"Hold on now." Shawn said holding his hand up before Punk could talk. "Sure Detective Brooks and April have some sort of a relationship but his goal is to keep her safe. When you told him to come back here and bait Jake Miller he did it. And in the few months I've worked with him his instincts have been spot on. Jake Miller got on a bus and out of town because he's going to her. He knows."

"There is absolutely no way he knows." John said to him.

"New agents every five minutes, maybe someone tipped him off." Punk said to him.

"We only have new agents because you threatened me to get rid of the last one!" John shouted.

"Because he wasn't doing his job!" Punk yelled back.

"You just saw her, you got a phone to her and can talk to her anytime you want be happy with that." John said to him.

"I am happy with that. But I'm not thinking like her boyfriend right now I'm thinking like a police officer trying to protect someone." Punk hissed.

"I'm going to make some calls and figure out which bus exactly Jake got on and if I could prove he went in the opposite of direction of AJ you have to let this go." John said then walked off.

"Un-fucking believable." Punk said shaking his head. "We don't need him anyway we can go down and stay with her, I know where she's at. We just have to shake him." he said to Shawn who nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." Shawn said to him. "So uh- boyfriend now, huh?" he teased.

"Surprised?" Punk asked him.

"Happy." Shawn said to him. "April is a great girl she deserves a good guy in her life. Hopefully this Miller stuff dies down and you can treat her the way she deserves to be. Dates, flowers, dinners-"

"I plan on it." Punk said to him.

* * *

Later that night AJ was at the safe house hiding in her room reading one of her books with Charger at the foot of her bed. The two new guards John had brought in where much more professional, stiff and did constant walks around the property and inside the house. If she didn't have the option of calling Punk whenever she wanted she'd be going crazy. She also wasn't sure what was going on but the Agents were on high alert and even if she did want to sneak out to her coffee shop she didn't think she'd get passed these Agents.

AJ walked out of her bedroom at around seven to let Charger out but of course she wasn't allowed to take Charger out one of the Agents usually did.

"Agent Cross?" AJ asked walking into the seemingly empty living room. "Agent Backer?" no one said a thing. "Maybe they're already outside." She said to Charger and walked to the front door and let Charger run out.

While Charger was outside AJ walked into the kitchen and both agents were not there either. She checked the bathroom, the back door, everywhere she couldn't see them. She was now getting a bad feeling in her stomach and walked into her room for her phone to call Punk to inform him the Agents were missing but for some reason her phone came up 'no service'.

"Charger!" AJ yelled out for her dog but now Charger was gone. "Charger!" She yelled out running outside and looking around the front lawn. "Charge!" She screamed out and whistled.

AJ knew what was happening, she knew what was coming and even though she wanted to look for Charger she backed into the house quickly and locked the door quickly. She ran into the kitchen and looked for a large knife to defend herself.

"You shouldn't let your dog off leash." a voice said from behind her and she froze. "April it's me."

"Mr. Miller." She said nervously turning around and saw the man covered in blood. "Charger." She cried seeing the blood on him.

"April it's time." Jake said to her. "This wasn't easy and I don't know why you had to make it so difficult."

"Stay back." She warned holding her knife out with her shaking hand.  
"Oh April." He frowned shaking his head in disappointment. He slapped the knife right out of her quaking hands and she began to cry. "Why are you crying?"

"Because you're going to kill me." she sniffled.

"Come here April." He said holding his hand out to her.

"Please just go." She cried.

"It doesn't have to be this way." he said to her. "You've left me no choice. Do you want it to hurt bad April?"

"No." She cried.

"We'll be together forever this way." He noted with a faint smile.

"You're going to kill yourself?" She asked him.

"I just want to be with you. In life they keep trying to keep us apart, in death it's for eternity." Jake said to her. "It's just like that poem from class."

"I remember it." she whispered trying to sound strong.

"No one is coming here for you April." Jake said to her. "There's no where to run, no where to hide. It's up to you on how you want to go out."

"I always liked you." AJ forced out with a smile as her tears fell. "All the girls had such a crush on you when you first started at school."

"I didn't notice them, only you." Jake said to her.

"You were just very forward and it scared everyone." AJ whispered. "That's why my mom and dad got so upset."

"They didn't even give me a chance." he said sadly.

"I know." she said stepping towards him nervously and placed her quaking hand on his cheek. "This is your chance, we're all alone."

"I've been waiting for you for eight years April." Jake said to her.

"If you put the knife down and come inside we can connect better." She said to him.

"In your bedroom?" he asked her and she nodded.

"You don't have to kill me to be with me." AJ said trying not to sound nervous but more confident. "You can have me right now."

Jake took her hand and she almost gasped as the feeling of him touching her and he lead her into her bedroom and closed the door. AJ sat on the bed and watched as he took his bloodied jacket off and tossed it onto the floor and kicked off his shoes.

"I have to freshen up." AJ said moving to get off the bed but he pushed her back down.

"You're perfect just the way you are April." Jake said to her.

"Ok." She said with a nervous smile and moved to the buttons of her own blouse and inched up the bed. "Can you be gentle?"

"Yes." he said watching her as his eyes began to water with excitement. "You've gotten more beautiful everyday."

"Thank you." she said and he crawled over.

AJ rested against her pillow as Jake placed a kissed over her chattering lips then kissed down her neck. AJ cried as she felt his chapped and cut lips run over her soft skin. She could feel him growing hard against her leg as he sucked over her pulse point. AJ had a plan though, she had thought of a 100 ways to get away from Jake Miller over the years. She slowly reached her arm over to her lamp and as Jake lifted his head she crashed it against him.

"Oh my god." She cried pushing him off of him and without looking back ran into the bathroom and opened the window she snuck out of when she'd go to the coffee shop and jumped right outside.

AJ ran as fast as she could into the dark woods and briefly looked back to see Jake wasn't far behind her, thankfully the blow to his head slowed him some but AJ pushed herself and ran even faster even though she had no jacket on or shoes and it was freezing but adrenalin was pumping through her veins and she ran faster.

"April!" he screamed trying to catch up to her.

* * *

Punk and Shawn pulled up to the house at around eight.

"You tried calling her again?" Shawn asked.

"Nothing." Punk said turning off the car.

A second later another car pulled up behind them and Punk was surprised it took John this long.

"You think you're smart?" John asked slamming his car door.

"Ditched you without a problem." Shawn snorted.

"This is a mistake." John warned him.

"AJ hasn't answered her phone." Punk said to him. "Have you heard from your agents?"

"A tower went down here and cell service is down. I could have told you that and saved you a trip." John said to him. "And that tip from the bus station hasn't been verified."

"I'm going in." Punk said to him.

"Me too." Shawn said to him as they walked to the door.

"Wait a second." John said stopping them but looking towards the dark SUV.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"The trunk is open." John said to them and slowly walked towards the car. John peeked over to see inside of the trunk and turned away quickly.

"What is it?" Shawn asked.

"One of my agents." John said to them.

"AJ." Punk said as he quickly ran into the house.

Everything was quiet as Shawn and John followed him with their weapons drawn. They checked the few rooms in the house and saw a knife on the floor in the kitchen then inspected her bedroom. Punk saw a bloodied jacket on the floor and knew Jake was here and with her. Did he already kill her? Was off burying her body somewhere?

"Call for backup." Shawn said to John who was already on the phone. "The lamp." he said noticing the glass on the bed. "She hit him."

"Or he hit her with it." Punk said to him then pushed open the bathroom door and felt the cold draft and saw the window wide open and smiled.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"She went out the window." Punk said to him. "She ran right outside and probably into the woods."

"It's too dark out to search now." John said to them. "I have a team-"

"We'll go out together because I have no idea how deep these woods go." Shawn said ignoring Punk as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out two flashlights.

"She couldn't have gotten too far but she knows the woods pretty good here." Punk told Shawn.

"Did you not just hear me?" John asked them.

"He can't be far behind." Shawn said to Punk again ignoring John.

"Hello!" John shouted. "I have a team in route!"

"Do you want a flashlight? " Punk asked passing him a third flashlight. "You can wait here if you want but we'll be looking for AJ who is running out of time."

"Fine." John said buttoning up jacket.

"She probably doesn't have a jacket or anything on." Shawn noted. "She'll freeze to death soon."

"Or he'll catch up to her." Punk shivered. "Let's go."

The three went out the backdoor and ventured towards the woods.

"What's that?" John asked.

"What?" Shawn asked.

"You hear that?" he asked hearing a sound coming from the shed out back.

The three circled the shed with guns drawn and as John slowly opened the door it shot open.

"Don't shoot!" Punk yelled seeing Charger race out and headed right for him.

Charger spent a moment with Punk before he raced towards the woods.

"This search might be easier than I thought." John mumbled and the three followed Charger.

* * *

AJ was hiding behind a big tree as she froze to death and tried to catch her breath. She looked down at her bare feet that were covered in dirt and probably blood. She rested for a few moments and heard noise and quickly placed her hand over her mouth so Jake wouldn't even hear her breathing. She looked up as Jake passed her without any clue she was so close. She felt relief when he passed and slowly came to her feet and decided to head back. She didn't go too far into the woods and she knew the way back. As soon as she stood up and walked around the tree she hit a hard body and looked up to see Jake. AJ began to scream as she struggled against him.

"Why did you do that to me April?" he demanded throwing her onto the rough ground. "I was ready!"

He crawled over her body and she screamed like a mad woman as he began kissing over her neck again. "No one can hear us April, you can be loud as you want."

"Help me!" She screamed out louder and Jake chuckled as his hand rested on her stomach and trailed further south. "Somebody!"

A second later the weight was off of her and she could hear growling. She sat up ready to run then saw it was Charger and couldn't leave him behind.

"Charger come on!" AJ yelled but Charger was ripping into his arm as he was now screaming.

Jake grabbed Charger by his face and shoved him away from him and jumped up to his feet and kicked the dog causing him to whimper.

"Charger!" She yelled out running to him but Jake grabbed her from her around her waist.

"Stop!" another voice yelled and AJ saw three separate lights hitting them. She was covered in dirt and turning blue from the cold.

"No." Jake said shaking his head.

"Let her go." Shawn said aiming his gun at him.

"Never." Jake whispered. "Never, ever, ever."

"You're outnumbered here." Punk pointed out. "Three guns against nothing."

"Are you going to risk shooting her?" Jake asked him. "If you kill me I'm taking her with me."

"That's not-" Punk started but a shot rang out and Punk turned his head to see John recklessly pull the trigger.

Charger ran over to the bodies on the ground before the three men could and began to lick AJ's face as Punk was next over her and tossed Jake's limp's body off of hers.

"AJ?" he asked desperately and she slowly sat up. "Did you get hit?" he asked checking her over.

"No I'm fine." She said to him and watched as he quickly removed his own jacket and wrapped it around her. "Phil get me out of here."

"I'm staying with him." John said to them.

"You could have hit her." Punk hissed lifting AJ into his arms.

"I didn't." John spat.

"Let's go." Shawn said nodding for Punk to follow him.

* * *

As soon as they were back at the house Punk placed AJ onto the couch and she was still freezing.

"How long before someone gets here?" Punk asked him.

"Twenty minutes out." Shawn said checking his radio.

"I'm freezing." she chattered.

"Hot bath." Shawn suggested jogging into the bathroom and turning on the water.

"That sound good?" he asked checking her over now in the light.

"Anything hot." She shivered as he ran his hands up and down her arms to try to keep her warm. "Is he dead?"

"I didn't even check." Punk admitted. "He looked it."

"You should go check." She said to him as Charger was at her side as well. "I thought he killed you." She said petting Charger with her frozen hand.

"Charger saved your life." Punk snorted. "Mine and yours in the last week, he should get a medal."

"I can go home now right?" She asked him.

"Yes." He said as Shawn walked out.

"It's still filling up but it's hot." Shawn said pointing and Punk lifted AJ again and carried into her bedroom and towards the bathroom attached.

Punk pulled her clothes off quickly and helped her into the tub she hissed a bit as she fell back into the tub and let the hot water warm her body.

"Good?" he asked.

"It's a little hot but it feels good." She said relieved relaxing into the tub. "Really good." She said closing her eyes. "What happened to the Agents?"

"Not sure." He lied quickly scooping up some water into a cup and pouring it over the top of her head.  
"He killed them. He was covered in blood." she said to him. "The water feels good."

"I bet." he said to her. "How long were out there?"

"Not long enough to freeze to death." She said to him. "Maybe half an hour or so. How did you know?"

"I don't even know." He admitted grabbing a loofa and cleaning her now.

"Can I go home tonight?" she asked him.

"Of course you can." he said to her as he continued to clean her and warm her up.

"He was going to kill me." She said to him.

"And he didn't." Punk pointed out. "You' outsmarted him."

"I took him to bed." she said and he froze thinking she let him touch her. "I hit him in the head of the lamp and jumped out the window."

"Smart." he forced out not wanting to press her.

"He didn't get far." she said to him. "We didn't have sex."

"Good." he said relieved.

"How did he find me?" she asked him.

"That's something I'd love to know for myself." he said to her. "We'll worry about that later. Right now we'll warm you up, get you checked out, pack you up and take you and Charger home."

"Home." She said relieved with a soft smile. "You'll stay with me tonight?"

"Of course." he said to her without a thought.

"I want to get out and get going." She said starting to get up.

"Wait a minute let me get you some warm clothes." he said passing into the bedroom and reaching for a bag.

"FBI and medics are here." Shawn informed him. "They want to see her."

"They have to wait for her to get dressed first." Punk said to him. "I don't want her hounded she's been through a shock."

"I already warned them." Shawn said to him.

"Give us five minutes." Punk said and Shawn closed the door.

AJ was already out of the tub drying off and Punk quickly slipped one of his sweatshirts over her and helped her into a pair of his sweats. He threw socks on her feet and she was now warm and ready to go.

"FBI wants to talk to you for a few minutes and let the medics check your pressure and stuff." He said to her.

"Phil I feel fine." She said to him.

"Just give it a few minutes? After that it's home sweet home." he promised.

"Home." She grinned falling against him and hugging him. "Thank you." She said looking up at him and he gave her a sweet kiss.


	13. First Date

**First Date**

* * *

AJ was back home that night and Punk was relieved when she slept for hours. She was happy to be back home and so was Charger but Punk might have been happiest. He slept in the bed next to her and even though it should have been his best night sleep he stayed up and watched her have her fist peaceful nights sleep since he met her. Her breathing was controlled, no nightmares and a faint smile on her face.

He woke up to take Charger out and feed him so she could rest since he clearly wouldn't be sleeping today. He was waiting on word on Jake Miller's condition who survived the gunshot wound from Cena but he as critical. AJ would only have the peace of mind she deserved if Jake Miller was dead and gone but the longer he went without word from Shawn or John he assumed Jake was alive.

"Morning." AJ greeted walking down her stairs.

"Good morning." He smiled from the table.

"You took care of Charger?" she asked and he nodded. "Thank you." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Happy to be home?" He asked her.

"So happy." She said happily. "I have to go to the grocery store and clean a bit but I'm just glad to be here."

"I have to go into work." he said standing up and tucking his gun away.

"Did you hear anything about Jake?" AJ asked him.

"Nope. I'll call you if I do." he said to her.

"Thanks." She said to him.

"I get off at seven is that too late for dinner?" he asked her.

"Not at all I don't know what I'd make-" she started.

"No." he laughed. "I want to take you out to dinner."

"Oh, that's right." she grinned. "Sure. What should I wear?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he teased.

"I'll figure it out." She laughed walking him to the door. "And you'll call if you hear anything about Jake?"

"I will." He assured her and gave her one last kiss before leaving the house.

* * *

Punk was down at the station long before Shawn arrived.

"I thought you'd take the day." Shawn noted.

"Nah." Punk said to him.

"Alright well new case." Shawn said tossing him a file. Punk opened the file and rolled his eyes.

"A mail thief?" Punk asked bored already.

"Be happy with the small excitement." Shawn laughed. "It'll be a nice break for you."

"Yea." Punk said closing the file. "What's the word on Jake?"

"Coma last I heard." Shawn shrugged. "Regardless he's the FBI's problem now."

"Yea I guess." Punk said to him.

"You don't seem as happy as I thought you'd be." Shawn noted.

"I am happy for AJ." Punk said honestly. "And I guess I could use the few days of downtime."

"Yea what are you going to do?" Shawn asked curiously.

"I'm taking AJ out tonight." Punk said to him. "Speaking of that I need a good place to take her out to dinner and I don't know any good place out here."

"There's a nice little French place not far off." Shawn told him.

"Really? In this town?" Punk asked skeptically.

"Yes really." Shawn mocked.

"Now that this is over I don't know what to do with myself." Punk admitted to him. "This Jake Miller case was a fluke."

"Give yourself some time." Shawn said to him. "And like I said enjoy this down time because I assure you something will happen. Never knew a cop who hoped for crime."

"I just have to keep busy." Punk said to him.

"And you will. Until things pick up here- and believe me they will- keep busy with your personal life." Shawn shrugged. "Maybe take a few days got visit home."

"Already visited home in a few weeks ago." Punk said to him.

"That's right I heard you and AJ stopped in Chicago." Shawn noted. "How did that go for you?"

"I didn't stay long just a pit stop." Punk said gruffly. "But I promised AJ I'd take her back."

"Oh and the Indiana PD called and said to thank you for that tip you gave them about that pimp Orton." Shawn said to him and Punk smirked.

"Fucking creep." Punk snorted.

"Issues on the road?" Shawn asked.

"A few." Punk said to him. "I do need to bring some stuff back to a buddy of mine's in Chicago."

"Well you have the time to do that and you won't have to worry about April while doing that." Shawn pointed out.

"Yea. Maybe I'll bring her. It'll be a good excuse to just get in and out." Punk said to him.

"Remember what I warned you about with dating her." Shawn said to him.

"I have no plans on hurting her." Punk assured him. "She's the only thing keeping me sane here."

* * *

AJ tried on her fifth dress and settled on a simple black mini-dress. It wasn't over the top but it was sexy as hell and her hair was perfectly wavy as she twirled in the mirror and wore a pair of black boots with a small heel. When her doorbell rang Charger was at the door before her but she pushed him aside and rolled her eyes when she saw Nick and not Punk.

"Hello Nick." she greeted.

"Hey babe." he greeted kissing her lips quickly and taking her by surprise. "I heard the good news."

"You heard the crazy killer who sent me into hiding is gone so you're back here?" AJ asked.

"I told you after all of that stuff settled I'd be back around." Nick reminded her. "Where you expecting me?" he questioned looking at how dressed up she was.

"No I have a date." she said to him and he eyed her.

"With who?" he asked with a laugh.  
"My boyfriend." she said almost smugly. "A boyfriend who didn't run out scared and stood by me."

"You mean the cop from Chicago?" He asked her and she nodded. "The guy who was paid to protect you." he chuckled. "I heard rumors about you two but didn't believe it."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Well I thought you were a little young and clean for him." Nick shrugged. "Aren't you nervous dating a cop?"

"Nervous? Not at all." she said to him.

"You want to be the woman who waits up all night waiting for her boyfriend to come home?" Nick asked.

"Phil is wonderful at his job and I have no fear of him not coming home at night." She stated proudly.

"I heard Jersey was temporary and he'd be back in Chicago." Nick said to her.

"You heard wrong." AJ said to him. "You should go because I have to finish getting ready."

"Alright babe." Nick said walking to the door and opening it. "You can call me when your Chicago superhero packs up and-" he stopped when he felt someone standing behind at the door and he turned around to see a very unamused Punk glaring at him. "Detective." he smiled then brushed past him.

"Hey." AJ greeted and Punk smiled upon seeing her. She greeted him with a kiss that Punk would have happily deepened but he wanted to take her out properly.

"You look phenomenal." Punk grinned. "Turn around for me." he requested and the back of the dress hugged her rear as perfectly as he imagined. "Not bad at all."

"You like it?" She asked trying not to blush.

"I really do." He said happily and grabbed her jacket that was hanging up and held it out for her. "So what was blondie doing here?"

"The coast was clear for him to come back." she snorted. "Is it true you're going back to Chicago?"

"No it's not." He said as she buttoned up her jacket now. "Is that what he told you?"

"It's a small town and people love to gossip." she warned him.

"It's not true. I'm not welcome back to work on the Chicago force." He said to her.

"What if they wanted you back?" She asked him.

"They won't." He laughed.

"But if they did?" she asked him.

"They won't." He said surely. "Come on now we're already running late." he said grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door.

* * *

Dinner was quiet minus the few people in town who came over to say hello and try to feel out the situation between Punk and AJ. The restaurant was small and there was just one small candle in-between the two and they talked about their childhoods but it was AJ asking a lot of the questions since the first few months they had known each other was all about her.

"Did you write down a list of questions down?" Punk teased as he paid the bill.

"No these were off the top of my head." she giggled.

"Are you sure you don't want dessert?" he asked her.

"I'm sure." she said to him.

"It's still early I still don't know what's left to do here but I do have something for you at my place." he said standing up and pulling her chair out for her.

"You got me a present?" she asked surprised.

"I wanted to give it to you for Christmas." he said to her.

"Sounds like a ruse to get me into your apartment." She teased.

"Oh if I wanted to get you into my place for sex I would have said something else." he grinned helping her into her coat.

"Like what?" She asked looking over her shoulder at him.

"Like how I want to take you back to my place so I can have dessert." he said to her then leaned against her ear and whispered into it. "I'm going to eat you out all night." she shivered at his hot breath against her and the threat that she hoped he'd follow through with. "Better than any ice cream or cake I'll ever get here. Five times AJ." he reminded her as his hand wrapped her waist and he kissed behind her ear.

"Why aren't we in the car already?" she asked him turning to face him.

"You're holding this up." he said to her. "I have to work the overnight shift tomorrow so I have all night with you." He informed her.

"Lets go." She said grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the restaurant.

* * *

Punk unlocked his apartment and turned on the light as AJ followed him inside. It was a bachelor pad, black leather couch, dark walls, a pool table, a big TV, game systems, clothes thrown all over the floor, empty food containers- it was all him.

"I didn't clean." he warned.

"I don't care." She said almost desperately.

Punk smirked as he walked over to her and unbuttoned her jacket for her and tugged it off her shoulders and tossed it onto the leather chair. She leaned up to kiss him but he turned his head.

"Really?" she asked with a laugh.

"I have your present first." he said pulling off his own jacket.

"Hold onto it because I didn't get you anything." She said as he opened his closet door and pulled a small bag out of it.

"You'll be giving me a lot of presents tonight." Punk said seriously and her face flushed. "Here." He said passing her the bag.

AJ reluctantly opened the bag and pulled out a book but it wasn't any book. It was first edition of her favorite book To Kill A Mockingbird. Her mouth dropped in shock as she held the expensive item in her hands.

"I can't accept this." She said putting it back in the bag and passing it to him.

"Sure you can. It's none refundable." he laughed passing it right back to her.

"Phil I love it! But it's so expensive!" she said to him.

"Trust me I have the money." he said almost smugly. "I picked it up in Ohio actually I thought I'd be with you on Christmas."

"You were." she said looking at the book again.

"You know what I mean." He sighed.

"At least we'll have New Years." she said to him.

"Yea about that." He started scratching the back of his head. "I volunteered to work New Years Eve and day a while back."

"Oh." She said to him. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Thank you so much for the book." she said kissing his cheek.

"Don't mention it." He said with a smirk. "Do you want something to drink?" He asked as she sat on his couch.

"No. Do you?" she asked him.

"Yup." He said looking down at her thighs and she flushed again as he sat down next to her. "No interruptions." he noted kissing by her neck and placing his hands on her knees and gently tugged them apart. "Nobody outside the door, no fear of some perverse psycho watching us from the window." he pointed out as his hands drifted slowly up her dress.

"That sounds nice." she grinned and bit on her bottom lip gently.

"Oh April." He scolded pulling his mouth off of her neck and looking at her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"It's a little cold out for no underwear isn't it?" he teased.

"I forgot them." She told him innocently.

"You forgot to put on underwear?" he asked amused. "Where have you been all my life."

"Jersey." She teased as she unbuttoned a few of his buttons from his dress shirt that he wore out to dinner.

Punk laid back on the couch and pulled her over him and began to kiss her. Punk slinked lower and pushed her up so he was directly underneath her warm wet entrance. He tugged her tight dress up and then gripped her hips as his tongue immediately darted out of his mouth and began to play with her.

"Phil." She moaned but his mouth was occupied with another part of her body.

AJ's hips moved against his mouth but he was in control and proved it by wrapping his arm around her waist so she couldn't move an inch. He was devouring her in a way she never felt before and she was squirming in his tight grip and gasping after a few minutes. Her legs were shaking as she looked down and watched how his mouth glistened with her body's juices.

"Phil!" she cried out as he bit down on one of her pink lips and tugged at it. "Oh my god!" she cried as sweat started to pour down her face.

When AJ came her body should have felt relief but Punk never stopped. He wanted all of her and wasn't stopping. His grip never loosened as he took everything her body offered him. Punk moved slightly and dropped her forward so she was on laying on the couch and his entire face was still buried in-between her thighs. He added a finger then two and sucked on her nub as her legs wrapped his neck and she arched repeatedly into him.

"Phil." she moaned sensually as she moved her hands over her own breasts and began to play with them.

AJ was still so sensitive from her last orgasm that it didn't surprise her when she came again. Her legs dropped from around him and she just laid there as he licked her clean then moved up her body. His mouth had her liquid all over his mouth and watched as he licked his lips.

"You taste so fucking good." He said seriously. "I'm going to warn you- I can do that all night."

AJ grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss and licked over his lips to taste herself causing him to growl and drop his hips into her and rub his growing erection against her even though he was still in pants. Punk's hands pushed her dress up so it was over his waist and moved in-between her legs and pushed into her while kissing her mouth. He thrust into her through his dress pants and she wrapped her legs around his waist and used his body to put that fire burning in her belly out.

Punk's hands moved to the front of her dress and tugged it passed her breasts just enough to free them. The dress was now bunched over stomach and his mouth attacked her hardening pecks. AJ's fingers were clawing at his hair as she moved her hips even faster into him then slid her own hand down her body and massaged her nub until she came.

"Sorry." She blushed looking at his black pants that she had just released on.

Punk hadn't even realized it happened and smirked when he looked down. He gave her another kiss before pulling himself off of her and taking the rest of his shirt off.

"Don't worry about it." he grinned pulling his pants off now and his boxers and he was rock hard.

"Ok." She said spreading her legs on the couch.

"Don't you want to finish this off in the bedroom?" he asked her.

"I don't think I'll make it." She admitted seriously and he let out a laugh.

"You don't think you'll make it?" he asked mockingly.

"Come here." she said waggling her finger and beckoning for him.

AJ began to stroke him as he stood in front of her and now she leaned back against the couch as she began to take him into her mouth. Punk let her take care of him but he stretched his arm backwards down her body as he gently thrust into her mouth and began to tease her again. AJ was finding it difficult to concentrate on pleasing him while he was still teasing her.

"Bedroom." He said pulling out of her mouth and leaving her wanting more.

Punk scooped her up and he dropped her in the middle of his bed which was huge. The bed was already unmade from the last time he had slept in it and AJ could smell his cologne all over it. She pulled off her dress completely now. Punk crawled over her body and slipped his fingers back inside of her and she was going to complain because this was not what she wanted but she'd take it.

"Please Phil." she begged grabbing his hand.

Punk spread her legs apart and thrust right into her now and she came instantly around him.

"That's number 4 if you were keeping track." he whispered against her ear.

Punk's hips were moving rapidly and thrusting into her as hard as he could as her hips rose up and matched his erratic pace. Punk lifted his body off of hers and looked down at her face as she wrapped her legs around his waist and she encouraged him to move harder and faster. Punk knew this wasn't going to last because he almost came in her mouth a few moments ago.

"Fuck April." He groaned as he continued to move. "That's good baby, so fucking good." he hissed as her muscles teased him.

"Let go." she encouraged.

"Number 5 first." he said as he used all of his strength now.

AJ let out a loud scream as she came again and just as she was Punk came inside of her as well. Punk gave himself a few minutes to make sure he was done because he had a powerful finish. He gently pulled out of her and rolled next to her.

"Five." he remarked smugly. She grabbed his face and gave him a deep thankful kiss.

"That was amazing." She said giving him another nip.

"You are." he corrected feeling exhaustion take over him.

AJ reached down and pulled the sheets up over them and moved her head so it was resting on his chest. She left one last kiss over his heart and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep with his arm loosely draped over her body.

* * *

Punk opened his eyes slowly when he heard knocking at his door. He wasn't sure how he ended up on his side with AJ wrapped his arms tightly and her back pressed to his chest. He noticed the sunlight then saw the time was almost 12 and realized he had slept more in one night then he had in the last month alone.

"What is that?" AJ asked in a groggy voice.

"Someone at the door." his horse voiced replied as he untangled himself from her. "Wait here I'll get rid of them." he kissed the side of her hide and grabbed a pair of gym shorts by his bed and slid them on before heading to the door.

The knocking became more obnoxious and Punk swung the door open ready to punch whoever was on the other side.

"Colt?" Punk asked surprised. He was looking beat up and not well at all.

"I need your help." Colt's desperate voice pleaded.


	14. Runaway

**Runaway**

* * *

Punk ushered Colt into his place and sat him down but before they could start talking his bedroom door opened and Colt turned his head and saw AJ step out of the room in just one of Punk's t-shirts that reached her knees.

"Is everything ok?" she asked concerned spotting Colt and recognizing him from Chicago.

"Yea uh- could you grab me the first aid kit? It's in the bathroom." He asked her and she nodded.

"Sorry man I didn't realize you had company." Colt said with a frown. "I thought you two were just friends?"

"Shut up." Punk grumbled getting sick of people asking that. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Remember when you came to see me a few weeks back and asked for cash and guns?" he asked and Punk nodded. "I need you to return the favor."

"I got it." AJ announced coming out with it and taking a seat next to Colt. "You need to clean that cut." she said gently touching the cut above his eye.

"You a nurse honey?" Colt asked grinning.

"What happened?" Punk asked him annoyed and Colt nodded towards AJ. "She's cool." he assured him. "She won't say a word."

"Scouts honor." she confirmed cutely as she dabbed his cut.

"I ran into some trouble when Orton got picked up in Indiana." Colt said to him and Punk's face fell and AJ froze. "What's with that face?" he asked Punk then looked at AJ. "What?" he demanded.

"I was the tip that got him arrested." Punk told him honestly. "AJ and I were staying in the same motel and he was running girls in there and he hit AJ and attacked her-"

"I'm not mad you did your job." Colt said to him. "Sorry about that." He said to AJ.

"He hits like a girl." She scoffed. "Didn't even bruise."

"Anyway you know most of his money goes right to Levesque." Colt said looking at Punk and clearly he hit a sore spot. "He took over for McMahon when-"

"Yea I know." Punk said cutting him off.

"Anyway Orton got picked up and they can't reach him but since I was the one working his case before they assume I dimed on him, Levesque had a few of his guys follow me they blew my undercover case and I got my ass handed me from a bunch of low class dealers in downtown Chicago." Colt said to him. "I haven't checked in with the department because Levesque is sitting on my place. I think they think if they kill me the case will go to shit." he snorted.

"Why can't you just go to the police station?" AJ asked curiously. "They should help you right?"

"Honey, the CPD is filled with rats and people working for Levesque." Colt informed her.

"You can't trust half of them." Punk confirmed and AJ just nodded and went back to cleaning Colt's cuts.

"I'm not staying because the first place they'll look for me at is here." Colt said to him. "Seth is covering for me-"

"Don't trust Seth." Punk snapped. "You can barely walk where do you think you're going to hide?"

"I'll jump in the car and head west." Colt shrugged. "I don't know but I know I can't be here and I can't be in Chicago because someone told Levesque what case I was working."

"You can't drive you're hurt." AJ said to him. "Why doesn't he stay at my place?" she suggested.

"No, no sweetheart we just got the psycho's away from you." Punk teased. "Psycho killer gone, bring on the crime boss in training? I don't think so."

"Yea it's too risky. I don't even want to be here but I need some cash." Colt said to him.

"I have everything you lent me and then some." Punk said to him. "But maybe we can put you up in a hotel-"

"Just let him stay with me." AJ argued. "No one is going to look at my place for him." she pointed out. "He can't do much he's hurt." she argued. "He can keep Charger company."

"Who is Charger?" Colt asked her.

"Her dog." Punk answered for her. "No AJ he'll stay here."

"This is going to be the first place they look." Colt reminded him again.

"So it's settled." AJ announced. "You can stay with me at my place, I have plenty of room."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Punk asked her and nodded towards the bedroom.

"What?" AJ asked following him inside.

"What?" He laughed. "Are you insane? Don't just offer your place out to strangers especially ones who are on the run from someone."

"He's your friend so I trust him. Also don't forget it was us on the run and me the stranger and he offered his place." she pointed out. "The mafia isn't coming here." she scoffed. "They don't know that I even know you! It's perfect. You can have peace of mind that your friend is ok and no one will no the difference."

"Things just got back to normal." Punk reminded her.

"He's not staying forever he's obviously going to have to go back at some point he just needs a few days to regroup that's all." She said to him.

"Why are you offering your home to him? You don't even know him." He asked her.

"Because he's important to you so that means something to me." She said simply. "Everyone bent over backwards for me the least I could do is return the favor."

"Stay in here and get dressed." Punk said to her. "Give me a few minutes with him ok?"

"Ok." She agreed.

Punk walked back into the living room where Colt was still waiting.

"She's sweet and all but I can't risk her or you for that matter." Colt said to him.

"Stay at her place until you can at least stand without falling over." Punk said to him. "She wants to help and she won't say anything."

"I followed this case." Colt whispered. "I don't want to be responsible for bringing more panic into that poor girls world, even though dating you I'm sure she should just get used to it."

"It's not for good, like I said just a few days." Punk said to him. "I'll help you figure out what to do in the meantime but make sure no one finds out where you are- do not tell Seth."

"I won't." Colt promised.

"If Levesque or any of his guys even mention her name or knock on her door I'll kill everyone including you and you know how much I like you." He said only half teasing.

"You must really like her." Colt teased.

"She's different." Was all Punk could come up with.

"I didn't want to drag you into more shit with Levesque." Colt groaned.

"It's kind of my fault for calling in Orton." Punk said to him.

"That's your girl." Colt said without a thought. "I'm surprised you didn't blow his head off."

"I would have if she wasn't in the room." Punk admitted. "I don't think anyone is going to look for you at her place so it's the safest option."

"I appreciate it." Colt said to him. "Speaking of the little lady, heard you had a close call and got stabbed."

"In my ankle." Punk scoffed. "Pussy move."

"So is this guy dead or not?" Colt asked him.

"Coma." Punk told him and he nodded. "Better than outside her bedroom window."

"Creepy." he shivered.

"Is everything ok?" AJ asked coming out in her dress she wore the previous night.

"Yea come say hi to your new roommate." Punk teased.

* * *

Colt was tucked away in a bedroom at AJ's house and she was actually having fun waiting on him. It gave her something to do.

"Hot soup." AJ announced.

"Sweet." Colt said sitting up. "You are the best." he said accepting the food tray from her. "I really do appreciate you putting me up here."

"You let us stay at your place." she pointed out.

"That was a little different." Colt laughed. "This room is huge though I wish you would have let me taken your room."

"Oh this is the master bedroom but I don't sleep in here. This was my mom's room." She said to him casually.

"The room where..." Colt trailed off.

"My mom was killed." She finished for him. "It's been empty ever since. It doesn't creep you out does it?"

"No." Colt laughed it off but he was now a little uncomfortable.

"It's a real shame that you can't even trust your boss." AJ said to him as she adjusted his pillows for him.

"It's not him I don't trust. It's the guys in his inner circle I don't trust." Colt said to her.

"Phil thinks that man Seth is dirty doesn't he?" AJ asked him.

"He does." Colt said to her. "I don't."

"Clearly." AJ smirked.

"Did he ever talk to you about you Chicago and his sister?" Colt asked.

"He has." She said to him. "He's told me bits and pieces over time and I pieced enough of it together. I think what happened to him was unfair and cruel."

"I agree." Colt said to her.

"I read about it in the papers first. When the town heard Phil was transferring here they read all about him including me." she said to him. "We're tight knit here." she smirked.

"Very small here. I'm surprised Punk didn't ask for another transfer but I assume you have a lot to do with that." Colt confided.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded.

"When he first came here he called me every night bitching and complaining even put in for a transfer request." Colt told her. "But the second he started working your case he withdrew his transfer and never complained about being here again. The last few times we talked actually it's been all 'eh it actually isn't half bad'."

"Did he ever talk about me?" AJ asked curiously.

"Not once." Colt said to her and her face fell. "That's a good thing." he assured her quickly. "He doesn't like to talk about good or happy things because deep down he thinks he's going to jinx it. He always keeps the good stuff to himself."

"You think so?" She asked.

"He told me he'd kill me if I got you in trouble with these guys I'm mixed up in." Colt told her. "And that's pretty big since he's never threatened me. Even after I slept with one of his sisters he didn't threaten to kill me."

"You slept with one of his sisters?" AJ asked surprised.

"That's a long story." Colt said waving it off. "Point is he hated it here until you."

"Good to know." AJ said trying not to smile. "So are you ok in here? I'm going out tonight-"

"Actually I think I'm going to move downstairs and watch the Hawks game on TV." Colt said to him.

* * *

Downstairs in the living room AJ had set Colt up on the large couch and moved the TV slightly so it was directly in front of him.

"Good?" AJ asked.

"Perfect. But I will warn you if you keep making it this good for me I might not never leave." Colt teased. "So what are you plans tonight? Punk taking you out to a fancy dinner?" he laughed.

"We did that last night actually." AJ said to him and Colt dropped his spoon into his soup. "What?" she asked with a laugh.

"Did he wear like nice clothes?" Colt asked her.

"Yea it was really fancy." She said to him.

"I'll be damned." Colt laughed.

"What?" she asked.

"I've never known Punk to take a girl to a place that had a waiter let alone a dress code." Colt snorted.

"Well tonight we're having dinner with his partner and wife." AJ said to him as the doorbell rang. "That's him." she raced over to the door but it wasn't Punk. "John." AJ greeted nervously noting Colt sitting in the living room.

"Hey." he said letting himself in. "You have a few minutes?"

"Uh sure." She said to him. "In the kitchen because-"

"Is that Brooks?" He asked walking into the living room and seemed surprised by the strange man on her couch.

"John this is a friend from college, Hayden." AJ introduced. "He came in to check on me after everything, Hayden this is Agent John Cena with the FBI." and Colt put on a smile.

"Great to meet you." Colt remarked. "I'd shake your hand but I've go the flu."

"And a black eye." John noted.

"So John what's going on?" AJ asked folding her arms trying to get his attention.

"I was stopping in before I fly out. I just wanted to see how you were holding up." John said as Colt watched the two rather than the game.

"I'm fine." AJ said to him. "How is Jake doing?"

"Coma." John said to her. "Doctors aren't optimistic."

"Oh." she said quietly.

"Not what you were hoping for?" John asked her.

"I wanted him to go back to prison and rot." She told him honestly.

"You never know." John said to her. "Here's my card." he said passing it to her. "I want you to call me if you need anything at all." he said placing a hand on her arm and giving it a squeeze. "And I mean anything-" Colt started coughing loudly and both turned to look at him.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked reaching for his water and passing it to him.

"Choking on my soup." Colt smiled sipping the water. "Sorry for interrupting."

"Anyway like I said hold onto it." John said looking back at AJ now. "I'll be back soon to tie up some loose ends in the case and to check in on Miller but until then give me a call if you have any questions about the case, Jake or you just need to talk."

"I will and thank you for everything you've done and I'm really sorry Agent Bryan." she said to him and he gave her a sad nod.

"Me too." he said and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Oh shit!" Colt shouted as he knocked his glass of water over. "Look what I did!"

"Oh it's ok it's just water." AJ said and that's when Punk stepped in the open door.

"Cena." Punk greeted.

"I was just leaving." John said to him and shook Punk's hand. "It was interesting working with you."

"Yea." Punk snorted.

"So long AJ, nice to meet you Hayden." He said to him and Colt waved as AJ used a towel to clean up the floor.

"Bye John!" she waved and he was gone.

"Hayden?" Punk asked.

"I had to think of something." AJ said to him.

"Yo, that agent was trying to score with your girlfriend." Colt laughed looking at Punk.

"What?" he asked looking at AJ.

"He was being nice." AJ said glaring at Colt.

"A little _too_ nice." Colt said giving Punk a knowing look.

"He's always been a little _too_ nice to her." Punk agreed. "Good looking out." he said pointing at Colt.

"Fake choke and drink spill." Colt said proudly.

"You did that on purpose?" AJ asked standing up.

"Are you ready?" Punk asked her.

"Yea I just have to grab my jacket." she said running upstairs.

"You feeling ok?" Colt asked.

"Yea she's a great girl you got." Colt said. "I haven't eaten this much in my life!"

"She likes to cook." Punk said to him with a shrug. "Any new info?"

"They think I came here." Colt said to him. "Not here to her place but to yours at least."

"Good they'll be disappointed when they get there." Punk said to him.

"I don't want you caught up in the middle." Colt said to him.

"They would come to my place regardless." Punk shrugged. "I won't even be around like I said I'm working tonight."

"You'll be in great hands tonight." AJ informed Colt as she came down the stairs with her jacket on now. "Charger is the best guard dog."

"Saved my life." Punk told him proudly.

"Mine too." AJ added.

"Really? All he's done is sleep since I've been here." Colt said looking towards the corner of the room where Charger's bed was and he was sleeping.

"Trust me this dog got stabbed and still kicked ass." Punk said to him as he grabbed AJ's hand. "If you need anything call."

"I won't be gone long. Just leave the try and I'll clean it when I get back." She told him and he nodded.

* * *

Punk and AJ were parked on the street outside of Shawn's house for fifteen minutes and now they were going to be late for dinner.

"That's it baby." Punk encouraged as AJ straddled his lap in the drivers seat and rode him.

"This isn't why I wore a dress." She rasped out as she moved her hips over him. "Oh Phil!" she cried out as his hands squeezed her ass and helped move her faster as his hips pushed into her.

"Always wear dresses." he said seriously as she came a few seconds later and he joined her.

"We're late now." she said falling back into her seat.

"It was worth it." Punk grinned grabbing some napkins and passing them to her so she could clean herself up and he did the same.

"Ok." She said feeling ready. "I just need to fix my hair." she said pulling down the mirror.

"I didn't touch your hair." he pointed out.

"I got sweaty." she said running her fingers through it.

"Sweaty is a great look on you." He teased. "You know, what you're doing for Colt means a lot to me."

"Of course." she said with a warm smile. "I'd help you with anything. I mean it's the least I could do after everything you've done for me these last few months."

"That's my job AJ this isn't yours." He pointed out.

"I wasn't referring to just guarding me and keeping me safe." she said to him as she reapplied her lip gloss. "You've been a friend to me. I've told you things I've never even told Becky. You gave me a safe place to talk about what I've been feeling and my mom, I never talked about her before you."

"I'm glad I could help." He said to her.

"Did you really put in for a transfer?" She asked him.

"Colt told you that?" Punk asked her.

"He did." She confirmed.

"Then he should have told you I pulled that request." he said to her.

"Why?" she asked him.

"I started working your case and wanted to see it through and now I feel like I laid roots down here." He shrugged. "I don't even think another place would take me but I don't want to leave anymore anyway."

"Even for Chicago?" she asked him.

"Why do you keep thinking I'm trying to go back there?" he asked with a laugh. "The CPD had a lot of action sure and yes I go a little crazy here sometimes but I trust every single cop in that building I can't say the same for the boys in Chicago."

"I would just be really sad if you left." She said to him.

"After all of this you think I'd pick up and leave without even giving you a heads up?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I don't know." she said to him. "You don't owe me an explanation."

"I would owe you one and as of right now I have zero desire to leave this crappy little town that shuts down at eight at night and doesn't even have a decent movie theater." he teased. "I like my partner, I like my boss, I like my place and I really, really like you. Feel better?"

"A little." She said and he leaned over to give her a kiss.

"Are you two coming in?" Shawn yelled from the front door. "Or do you want dinner brought to your car?!"

"We better get going." She smirked opening her car door and Punk stepped out as well.

Across the way a man parked was on his phone. He had on a nice suit and was a much older man. Maybe in his forties. He had a goatee and slicked back hair.

"It's Nash." the man said into the phone. "Cabana isn't here I've been on Brooks all day. I'm going to swing by his place and do another look over but he must have figured we'd look for him here...no he's with his girlfriend at his partners house...he seems happy to be here actually I think the last thing on his mind is Cabana, Orton or you for that matter...nah it's that girl who was on the TV...no, the one who's mom died and that teacher was looking for her...yea little thing...I can do that...I won't...alright so I'll drive back after I talk to her tomorrow." he then hung up and started his car up.


	15. Getaway

**Getaway**

* * *

The next morning AJ was up early and cooked Colt breakfast before leaving to bring Punk and Shawn coffee and some muffins from the local, well the only, diner. She ordered their favorites and waited on their coffee as she played on her phone at the counter.

"I heard you had a nice dinner the night." the older woman Vickie teased from behind the counter. "Michelle said Layla saw you and the new Detective at dinner."

"You heard correct." AJ smirked.

"So are things serious?" Vickie quizzed. This town lived for gossip.

"It's not too serious we're just having fun." She said to him.

"Well if anyone in town deserves to have fun it's you." Vickie said cleaning off the counter and someone else passed her the bag of muffins and two coffee's.

"Thank you." AJ said throwing a twenty on the counter and not asking for change.

"April Mendez?" A large unfamiliar man asked. He was huge, towering over her in fact.

"Who wants to know?" AJ asked feeling uneasy.

"Need me to call Shawn?" Vickie asked AJ as she glared at the large man.

"I'm sorry." the man smiled tugging his shirt slightly so AJ could see his badge and gun. "I'm Detective Kevin Nash."

"You're not with our police department." AJ said narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm not. I'm with the Chicago police department." Kevin informed her.

"AJ?" Vickie asked still glaring at the larger man.

"It's fine he's a cop." AJ smiled back towards her. "Is there something I could help you with? I'm kind of in a rush." She said passing him and walking out the door and he followed her.

"This won't take long." he said following AJ to her car. "Here let me help." he said taking the coffee holder from her so she can get her car keys out.

"Is this about Jake Miller? The FBI told me not to talk to anyone about it." she informed to play off that she was clueless, deep down she knew this man was looking for Colt.

"No I'm looking for someone you may know." Kevin said and held his phone out with Colt's picture on it.

"Nope." AJ said with a shrug. "Is he in town?"

"I thought he would be. He's a very good friend of your boyfriends." Kevin said to her.

"Detective Brooks?" AJ asked and he nodded. "We just started dating literally a few days ago. I don't know much about his friends."

"Has he mentioned Colt Cabana to you at all?" Kevin questioned.

"Doesn't ring a bell." She lied with ease. "I really don't want the coffee to get cold-"

"Detective Cabana is very good friends with Detective Brooks. I assume he'd be here with him and I assume you'd know since you're with him most nights." Kevin said to her.

"How would you know how I spend my nights?" AJ asked him. "Besides Detective Brooks has spent everyday for the last two months up until Tuesday with me out of town as my protection detail."

"Didn't realize Detective Brooks was that close to your case." Kevin noted. "How is Punk doing?"

"He's great." AJ said with a nervous smile. "At least I think so, I'm still just getting to know him."

"Hope he's staying out of trouble. Not everyone gets a second chance like he does." Kevin said shaking his head. "One more screw up he'll end up loosing that badge that he loves so much. I'd hate to see him covering for an old buddy out of some deluded sense of loyalty instead of protecting his best interests. Anyway tell Punk that big Kev said hello." he smiled passing AJ back her coffee. "And take care of yourself with the snow really sticking you could really slide." he warned in a friendly voice.

* * *

AJ arrived at the station and Punk was practically falling asleep at his desk when AJ held the coffee under his nose and his head shot up.

"Coffee." He grinned happily and took the cup.

"Food too." She said placing the bag down. "Where's Shawn?"

"He left a few hours ago." Punk said to her.

"More for you then." she shrugged sitting on the edge of his desk. "Phil I have to talk to you." She whispered.

"Talk." he said to her as he looked back at his computer.

"I think you'd want to have this conversation in private." She said to him as he typed at his computer.

"I have four more files to punch in here, don't worry no one is listening." Punk said to her.

"A Detective Nash approached me at the diner." she said loudly and he looked up at her.

"From Chicago?" Punk asked and she nodded. He stood up and pulled her into a private office. "What did he say exactly."

"He said he was looking for Colt but I think he bought it when I told him I didn't know him." she said to him.

"What else did he say?" Punk asked her.

"He said he hoped you weren't hiding Colt out because you could loose your badge over this. Then he said to tell you he said hello." she said to him.

"That's it?" Punk asked her.

"Yea. Was he a friend of yours?" she asked him. "He seemed really nice. Helped me get into the car and gave me a tip about driving in the snow."

"Driving in the snow?" he asked her quietly.

"Yea said that with the snow sticking I could slide." She shrugged. "Why does that make you so angry?" she asked noting his beat red face.

"My sister was supposedly killed when she drove in a snow storm." Punk said coldly. "We all know it was Levesque and his goons. Kevin is his main goon."

"But he's a cop." She pointed out.

"He has a badge AJ, but he sure as hell isn't a cop." Punk said to her.

"He seemed fine to me. But he did say he knows I had been with you every night." she said to him and he narrowed his eyes.

"This is the shit I was afraid of happening." Punk said shaking his head. "Colt has to go."

"Phil he's still hurt and I'm pretty sure this guy believed me can't we just wait a few more days?" she asked him.

"No we can't." Punk said bluntly. "He needs to go and I'll drive him out of town if that's what it takes but he can't be around you anymore."

"Phil-" she started.

"No AJ." He said strongly. "I don't want these men to know you exist let alone approach you at the diner or watch me with you at night. Go back to your place and tell Colt to pack his shit up and I'll be by in an hour to get him out of here."

"Phil I don't think it's a good idea." she argued.

"No it was a bad idea to have him stay with you to begin with." Punk said to her. "Just get his stuff together for me."

"Ok." she frowned. "I really don't mind. I mean I've starred down a serial killer a fixed cop doesn't scare me."

"I have no doubt you wouldn't be intimidated but for my sanity just go back home and pack up his crap and get him ready." he said placing his hands on her shoulders gently.

"Sure." she smiled. "Whatever you need me to do. But he did help us out."

"I'm going to help him AJ." He assured her. "But without your help not that I don't want it or appreciate it but because I can't risk you getting more involved."

"I'm already involved." she pointed out and he groaned.

"Don't say that." he said annoyed. "I want you to have a happy and normal life, you deserve it more than anyone I know. I won't have my shit bring you back down."

"We're together aren't we?" she asked him.

"Yea." He said not following.

"So your baggage is my baggage." She said simply. "I don't mind."

"I do." He said to her. "Just please do this for me?"

"Whatever you need." she said to him giving in.

"Thank you." he said kissing her forehead. "I'll see you back at your place soon."

* * *

"I'm so sorry about this." AJ said as she zipped up Colt's bag.

"Sorry? You gave me a place to crash for a night I appreciate it. I'm the one who is sorry." Colt said to her.

"I think he's overreacting." AJ said to him as Colt sat on the couch.

"He's not." Colt said seriously. "We both should have known better then to think it was a good idea for me to stay with you."

Punk walked right inside AJ's place and looked at the door he just walked through then back at AJ.

"You don't lock your door?" he asked her closing it.

"You don't knock first?" She challenged.

"Lock this when I leave." He warned her. "I rode around and Nash isn't here."

"Are you sure? You didn't see him last night." Colt pointed out. "How did you not notice the man following you around anyway? I mean there's a total of probably ten cars on the road in this town after nine."

"I was preoccupied." He muttered scratching the back of his head as he grabbed Colt's bag.

"With what?" Colt asked him.

"With stuff Colt." he snapped as AJ just blushed.

"Oh." Colt said with a laugh. "Kinky." he grinned.

"Are you ready?" Punk asked.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Colt said slowly standing to his feet.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Punk asked annoyed.

"AJ always helps me get my pants down." Colt said seriously and Punk's face dropped. "Kidding." he laughed limping to the bathroom. "So fucking easy." he laughed as he closed the bathroom door.

"Where are you going?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know." Punk said to her.

"Sounds like when we were on the road. Should I expect you back in less than a week?" she asked him.

"I won't be gone that long." he promised her when there was a knock at the door.

AJ peeked her head out the window and backed up when she was the Detective from Chicago.

"It's that cop Nash." She whispered to Punk.

"What the fuck." Punk groaned. "Go to tell Colt to stay in the bathroom- "

"How about you let me do the talking since this is my house?" AJ suggested. "You go hide."

"I'm not going to to hide." he hissed.

"Alright I'm-" Colt started.

"Get back in there!" Punk whispered loudly pointing to the bathroom and Colt just walked back inside and locked the door.

"Relax I got this." AJ said to him and swung her door open. "Detective Nash."

"Sorry to bother you Ms. Mendez but I remembered I forgot to drop my card off with you, you know just in case you happened to see Detective Cabana." he said passing her the car.

"Thank you." AJ smiled. "Have a safe trip." she began to close the door but he used his foot to keep it open and Punk, who was hiding behind the door was already gripping his gun.

"Is that Punk's car outside?" he asked her and Punk rolled his eyes. "It's the same car he had in Chicago actually and if he's here it would save me a lot of time from stopping by his place again before I left."

As AJ opened her mouth to respond Punk appeared standing behind AJ and dropped Colt's bag to the floor.

"Hey Punk." Nash grinned. "It's been a long time."

"Why are you here?" Punk asked coldly.

"I'm sure you heard about Colt." Nash stated.

"I've been a little busy working a pretty big case these last few weeks and haven't spoken to anyone back home." Punk informed him. "Why are you at my girlfriends doorstep?"

"Like I said I just need to have a few words with Cabana." Nash said to him.

"And like I said I haven't heard from him." Punk said to him. "Get off her porch and get the hell out of Jersey you have no jurisdiction here."

"I suppose I don't." Nash smirked then looked towards the bag at Punk's feet. "Going somewhere? That's an academy bag isn't it?"

"Phil is taking me out of town." AJ smiled wrapping her arms around Punk's waist but he remained a statue as he narrowed his eyes on the man.

"How nice. Chicago?" Nash smirked at her then looked up at Punk.

"Nope. He's surprising me." she said happily.

"If he brings you to Chicago you should talk him into taking you to-" he started.

"Get the fuck out of here." Punk warned him. "Don't talk to her, don't approach m note again because we have no business with each other anymore. I moved on from Chicago and you should try to let me go."

"This trip wasn't about you." Nash reminded him. "Aren't you curious as to why we're looking for him? Not even going to ask?"

"I wouldn't get the truth from you anyway." Punk scoffed. "Now if you don't mind my girlfriend and I have a trip to get ready for."

"Have a very safe trip." Kevin smirked then walked down the stairs.

"How did I do?" AJ asked him excitedly.

"Get out here!" Punk yelled towards the bathroom.

"Do you think he bought it?" she asked him as Colt wobbled out of the bathroom.

"Well now I have to take you with me." Punk said with a sarcastic smile even though her face lit up.

"Really!" she asked clapping her hands together.

"Yes really." he forced out. "I wish you wouldn't have said that."

"It made the most sense." She shrugged. "I'll be on my best behavior." she promised him.

"It's not your behavior I'm worried about it." He groaned.

"Come on she'll be fine with us. Besides do you want to leave here alone anyway?" Colt asked him. "What if Nash comes back and she's still here? How will she explain that to him?"

"Go pack a bag." he forced out to his girlfriend who ran up the stairs to hurry and pack. "Colt-" he started.

"She'll be fine." Colt promised him. "I'm not even a fugitive."

"No but you're a wanted man nonetheless." Punk argued. "I'll get you set up somewhere far enough but I can't risk her." he said to him. "I'm not feeding you to the wolves-"

"I get it." Colt said to him. "She's a great girl and I wouldn't expect you to put your love before me." he laughed and Punk laughed at it. "I'm happy you found someone to put up with your shit and makes you happy. I'll do this on my own and you both can stay here."

"It's too late for that now Nash is expecting us both gone also I'm not in love." he said to him and Colt snorted a laugh.

"Whatever man." Colt said to him. "Look, I really am sorry for dragging AJ into this."

"She dragged herself into it I should have known better." Punk said to him. "Like I said before I'll set you up somewhere but I've got to get her back soon."

"Ready." AJ said skipping down the stairs. "I also called Cheryl who is going to take Charger to her place while we're out of town. Her and Shawn thinks its very sweet you're taking me on a vacation. Oh you should pull the car into the garage in case Kevin is still out there. I don't want him to see Colt get in the car."

"Colt is going to have to ride in the trunk." Punk said to her.

"What? He's hurt!" AJ argued.

"It's fine. Walking away with my life will be worth the hour of being cramped into a trunk." Colt said to her.

"So any idea where we're heading?" she asked them.

"Actually I was thinking Kentucky." Punk said to him. "Cliff will put you up."

"Whose Cliff?" AJ asked them.

"He was an old buddy of ours who left the force." Colt said to him. "I'll give him a call."

"Sure, him you'll give a heads up to." Punk muttered.

"Heard that!" Colt shouted as he walked away to make the call.

"Being with you is such an adventure." She smirked holding her bag out and he took it from her.

"Don't get used to it. I swear to you I'm not normally this exciting." He laughed.

"Darn." She teased.

"Alright Cliff is in." Colt said to them.

"Let's get moving." Punk said to them. "Kentucky is what? 9, 10 hours from here? I can have AJ back here by the morning."

"That's not exciting." She scoffed.

"This isn't supposed to be exciting." Punk smirked.

"AJ did you pack snacks by any chance?" Colt asked hopefully.

"Of course I did." AJ smiled and Colt's face lit up as Punk rolled his eyes.

"You are literally the best." Colt smiled.

* * *

They were on the road for two hours when Punk decided it was safe to let Colt out of trunk which he felt was an hour and a half too long. Punk drove straight through to Kentucky and dropped Colt off with Cliff and tried to sneak AJ off to a hotel rather than staying in Cliff's cramped apartment but both Colt and Cliff insisted AJ and he stay the night, mostly so they could hang around AJ who they adored. She was friendly, funny and they got a kick out of her.

"Aren't you guys tired yet?" Punk asked from the kitchen table as the three played video games on the couch.

"I'm tired." AJ said putting her controller down.

"Don't let him bully you into stopping." Cliff scoffed. "Stop being so selfish and let us share your girlfriend." He snapped at Punk who widened his eyes in a threatening manner. "I meant with playing games!" he corrected quickly.

"He's been driving for hours." Colt pointed out turning the TV off. "And he has a lot more driving tomorrow let's let them sleep."

"Are you guys sure you don't want my bed?" Cliff asked them.

"Nah I know what goes on in that bed." Punk said disgusted. "We'll take the couch."

"Alright but it doesn't pull out anymore." Cliff informed him and Punk glared at him.

"Couldn't have told me that before?" Punk snapped.

"It's fine I'll take the little couch you take the big one." AJ suggested moving to the love seat.

"If you want my bed Miss. AJ I'll gladly take the small couch." Cliff offered.

"Don't be silly." she smiled grabbing a blanket he had left out.

"Goodnight." Colt and Cliff and mumbled as they headed into separate rooms.

"You can take the big couch." Punk offered laying out a sheet on over the couch.

"Nope I'm good here." She said curling perfect into the small couch.

"Damn you are small." He smirked falling onto the bigger couch and turning out the light.

"I like your friends. They're really nice." She said to him.

"They're ok." He yawned stretching out.

Punk was laying in the direction to where he could see AJ perfectly against the opposite wall and she was facing him as well across the room.

"This couch is huge." He noted.

"Rubbing it in?" She asked him.

"No all I'm saying is you could probably fit with me." he suggested and AJ was already off the couch and he grinned and laid flat on his back as AJ laid across him and he pulled the sheets up over her.

"You're right." She said sliding off of him so her back was to his chest and wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. "Are you comfortable?"

"Very." He said burying his nose in her hair.

"Phil!" she scolded and his eyes shot open.

"What?" he asked.

"You know what." She whispered.

"Oh." he said with a goofy grin realizing he had a growing erection. Happened every time he was touching her he had come to learn. "Can't help that."

"Maybe I should sleep on the other couch." she said going to move but he held her tighter.

"Maybe you should stay right here." he whispered into her ear.

"You're going to keep me from sleeping." she smiled.

"Or I could tire you out." He suggested pushing into her slightly so she could feel him hardening against her ass.

"Right here?" She asked astonished.

"Right here." He confirmed.

"In your friends living room?" she asked.

"Yup." he said to her.

"I'm not quiet." she reminded him.

"I'll keep you quiet." He assured her.

"What if someone comes in?" she asked him.

"Do you want the dirty response to that? The only one that's going to be coming is-" he began.

"Phil." she giggled.

"Shhh." He laughed against her ear and she could feel him tug at her sweats and pulled them down only enough to give him the access he needed. "Warm yourself up." he whispered against her ear.

"Me?" she asked him.

"Yes." he said moving his hand beneath his sweats now and began to stroke himself.

AJ's hand moved to her front and began to tease and massage herself just as Punk requested. It wasn't something AJ normally did but if Punk told her to jump off a bridge she was sure she would. She could hear Punk behind her and she looked forward as she felt herself moisten for him.

"I'm ready." She whispered.

"Remember, shhh." he whispered as he gently entered from behind.

"Oh-" she started to yell out but Punk's hand clasped over her mouth.

"I'm sorry baby." He cooed as he gently rocked his hips.

With one hand over her mouth his other hand wrapped over her and began to gently tease her nub. She was moaning quietly into his hand but they both froze when they heard a door open. AJ quickly dropped her head and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure you two won't be more comfortable in a bed?" Cliff asked casually walking through the living room as Punk was balls deep inside of his girlfriend under the blankets. He took his hand off of her mouth and hoped she wouldn't give anything away.

"Nah we're good here but she's already sleeping." He whispered to Cliff.

"Yea?" Cliff asked tilting his head as he walked past again with a glass of water. "Is she having a bad dream or something? Her face looks all tense."

"Nah she just sleeps like that." Punk whispered back and Cliff nodded.

Punk's finger continued to gently tease her and now he was just being cruel and testing her.

"Look I don't worry you to worry about Colt I'm going to make sure he stays out of trouble." Cliff started off and AJ's toes began to curl.

"I appreciate that." Punk said adjusting his position, innocent enough to Cliff but plunging deeper into AJ who was trying to remain still. "I really need to get some sleep now though-"

"Oh sure, sure." Cliff said with a smirk and walked into his bedroom again.

"You're going to pay for that." AJ hissed but Punk began to move gently again.

"You wanted exciting." He reminded her with a chuckle.

AJ reached the blankets and tugged them over their heads so they were completely out of sight and grabbed Punk's free hand that wasn't teasing her nub and placed it over her breast. Punk didn't need her to draw him a map, he squeezed he breast and flicked her nipple over her thin t-shirt as he continued to push into her slowly.

Punk was impressed by how quiet she remained and began to move a little faster and his fingers began to rub her rougher. He buried his head in her hair as he finished her off ten minutes later. Punk joined her a few thrusts later and quickly pulled out of her and pulled her sweats back up.

"Now I can sleep." he said relieved with a huge grin on his face.

"How did you sleep before you met me?" She teased then became serious as they curled into each other and got comfortable. "Never mind don't answer that."

"I didn't really sleep." he said in a sleepy voice.

"So now that this is over what crazy adventure is next?" she joked.

"I hope this is over." he sighed closing his eyes. "I can't just leave him out her to hang and dry I have to try to help out on the police end of things."

"That doesn't sound exciting for me." She pouted and she could hear him laugh a little.

"You could use the minimal excitement for a while." He joked.

"Speaking of could you remind me to call John Cena in the morning by the way." She said as she closed her eyes and his eyes now shot open.

"We boned less then five minutes ago and you're talking about John Cena?" he asked her.

"Well, I was thinking about him while you were inside of me." She said casually without missing a beat.

"Excuse me?" He asked loudly shooting his head up.

"I'm just kidding." She laughed. "I need my laptop back."

"Oh." Punk said to her. "I'll call him for you."

"He hates you." AJ reminded him. "And I really need my laptop back. I want to get back to my writing."

"I'll call him." Punk said again.

"Hey, we'll be back by Sunday right?" she asked him.

"We'll be back tomorrow night." He smirked.

"Good because my dad left me a message and he's flying in to see us." She said to him and groaned. "Dinner Sunday night and don't say you have to work because I checked with Shawn and he said as long as you made it back you'd be off Sunday night anyway."

"Oh fuck AJ you know I don't like your dad." Punk grumbled.

"Ok it's fine." AJ said to him.

"Really?" Punk asked.

"Yea I mean it's not a big deal. He said he's bringing his wife and I've never met her before so I'll be the odd one out and feel completely left out." she rambled and his eyes opened again but this time in annoyance. "I already told him you'd probably be busy and couldn't make it when he extended the invitation for you."

"I'll go." he forced out.

"You don't have to." she said smiling to herself already knowing she won this.

"I want to." He said in a softer tone. "I really like your father."

"No you don't." AJ scoffed.

"You're right I don't but I like you and I've faced hell with you for weeks, what's one more night?" he said seriously and she laughed.

"Thank you." she said feeling content.

* * *

The next day they made it back to Jersey after Punk insisted driving the ten hours all the way through. His captain gave him the rest of the week and even though AJ insisted they stop or at least do something fun he told her getting back home was most important. His place was closer so she agreed to spend the night with him there instead of an extra twenty minute drive back to her place.

"Home sweet home." She said as he unlocked the door.

"Yea sure." he smirked opening his front door but held his arm out so AJ couldn't come inside. "Wait here." he said pulling out his gun.

"Phil-" she started but froze when she saw his place was in shambles. Someone had completely turned his place upside down.

"Just wait here." he said and went inside to search the apartment to make sure no one was still hiding inside.

"Is it clear?" she asked.

"Yea." he said nodding for her to come in.

"You want me to call Shawn?" She asked.

"No." He said quickly. "I don't need to waste his time I know who did this."

"Detective Nash?" she asked.

"Please don't call him Detective." Punk said annoyed. "He's a crook with a badge."

"Isn't this illegal?" AJ asked. "He needed a warrant right?"

"I'm going to take you home." he decided ignoring her question.

"And you're going to come back here? No stay with me." She said to him.

"AJ I-" he started.

"You want to come back here and clean this place all night after all that driving today?" She asked him. "No way, you're coming home with me, you're going to get a real good nights sleep with no funny business and tomorrow I'll come back here with you and we'll both clean up." she ordered. "I will not let you die from exhaustion."

"Ok, ok." He laughed feeling a littler nervous. "You win."

"I always win." She reminded him seriously. "Let's go." she said opening his door again.

"A little cranky honey?" he teased.

"Now Phil." she warned.

"Fine can I just check my safe first?" he asked her permission because she wasn't messing around right now.

"Two minutes." She warned him.

Punk walked into his bedroom and opened his closet door and saw his safe seemed untouched. He put the combination in and opened it up to see his cash and weapons were all there thankfully the only thing missing was a picture of his sister he passed away that he kept in there and now that was the confirmation he needed to know exactly who was in his place. He slammed the safe shot and turned the lock before heading back out to AJ.

"AJ I really need to stay and figure this out." Punk said to her.

"Phil you run around and take care of everyone else and you're going to drive yourself mad and get sick." AJ argued. "Come home with me and let me take care of you for a change." she said grabbing his hand and pulling him out of his apartment. "Besides your apartment was already messy it was long overdue for a cleanup."

"AJ-" he started.

"Damn it Phil stop arguing with me!" She yelled and he jumped back slightly.

"I was actually going to ask you about that no 'funny business' thing you said earlier. Remember?" he asked her and she just glared at him. "Because you're being very bossy and sort of mean and I have to be honest, it's hot."

"When we get back to my place I'm going to put you in the shower- not join you- tuck you into bed, make you hot tea and rub your temple just the way I know you like until you fall asleep. Then I'm going to see to it you get more than eight hours of sleep for a change." She said to him. "And if you actually sleep and relax we'll see about the morning, ok?"

"You'll really rub my temple for me?" he asked taking her hand into his own and walking down the hall with her.

"I know you like it." She smiled sweetly. "You do it when you get a headache and it totally relaxes you."

"You know me better than I thought you did." Punk grinned happily. "You win. You can wait on me hand and foot tonight."

"It wasn't debatable but it's cute you think you had a choice." She teased.


	16. The Cut Off

**The Cut Off**

* * *

After staying at AJ's and sleeping the day away and finally refueling after an exhausting few weeks Punk felt refreshed. With all the free time at the station Punk spent a lot of time looking into Orton's case and Detective Nash who he was sure he hadn't seen the last of yet. He headed home after work since he didn't have plans with AJ and when he approached his door he heard noise from inside of his apartment. He placed his hand over the door handle and twisted it slowly and knew it was unlocked and he was sure he locked it before leaving for AJ's two days earlier. He pulled his gun out and kicked his door open ready to shoot whatever idiot broke into his place again.

"It's me! Don't shoot!" AJ yelled out horrified and he quickly dropped his gun.

"Fuck AJ." He said tucking his gun away. "I could have fucking killed you!"

"You have great reflexes." She said with a nervous laugh but her face was pale as she was just staring down the barrel of a gun.

"I'm sorry." He said with a sigh.

"No it's ok I should have told you I was coming by but I wanted to surprise you." She said to him. "What do you think?" she asked.

Punk looked around and saw she had cleaned his place, it was cleaner than the day he moved in. She cleaned up the mess Nash made, the mess he had made over the last few months and dusted, windexed, moped and he was sure she fluffed the pillows in his living toom.

"Holy shit." He said with a slow smile. "Thank you the place looks livable now."

"That's what I was going for. And I restocked your refrigerator." she said proudly skipping over to it and opening it for him.

"That's great but how did you get in here?" he asked curiously.

"I picked your lock." She shrugged. "You should really lock your top bolt too."

"I will for now on." he mumbled.

"I didn't go through your things or anything." she assured him quickly.

"I have nothing to hide." Punk shrugged. "Thank you again." he said walking to her and giving her a kiss.

"I also left dinner in the oven for you." She said as she walked to her jacket and purse.

"Where are you going?" he frowned.

"I have to take Charger out, pick up the dry cleaning for Annie around the corner because she broke her hip and can't leave the house, then I promised Cheryl I'd drop off some books for her." She rambled off.

"You're a busy beaver. Want some company?" he offered.

"No you need rest." She said as he helped her put her jacket on.

"Did you eat dinner at least?" he asked her.

"I ate half of yours." she grinned walking to the door. "And you're still coming to dinner tomorrow night right?"

"Yes I'm very much looking forward to it." Punk remarked sarcastically.

"Oh and you didn't call John about my laptop did you?" she asked as she opened the door.

"I did call him- three times to be exact and he has returned zero of those calls." He said to her. "You actually might have better luck getting him."

"That's what I thought." she said to him and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow night. I know you're coming right from work and it's nothing too fancy but try not to be late it's at 8:00 sharp."

"I'll be there at 7:59." he teased. "Get home safe." he said giving her one last kiss.

Punk stepped outside his door and watched until she made it onto the elevator and she gave him a cute wave as the doors closed.

"Cute little thing." a voice said emerging from the stairwell. "She's been in there all day working that cute tight ass off." Punk narrowed his eyes at the larger detective from Chicago.

"Get out of my building." Punk warned him.

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" Nash laughed. "You know that will get you killed and your other sisters and your mother..."

"I left Chicago and left all of this shit behind me just like you people fucking asked me to do so why the fuck are you showing up here now?" Punk demanded.

"I was looking for Colt." Nash said to him. "I know you took him to Kentucky because we picked up your plate going through the tolls."

"I took my girlfriend to Kentucky." Punk corrected. "We were visiting some old friends."

"I know Cabana is there but he can came home now." Nash told him. "We got into speak to Orton we know who ratted on him."

"That a fact?" Punk asked amused.

"Yea he told us all about you and your girlfriend hanging out in his motel." Nash said to him.

"Was he staying in the same place?" Punk asked innocently. "I don't recall."

"Said he tried to hire your girl and you tried to blow his head off his shoulders." Nash informed him.

"Really don't remember." Punk smirked.

"Yea you know what? Levesque is going to let it slide because it's you." Nash told him and Punk rolled his eyes. "Be grateful for the reprieve because had it been up to me you'd be dead, you actually should have been dead months ago."

"Ahh you know that would cause too much suspicion." Punk remarked smugly.

"This is yours." Nash said passing him the photo of his sister and Punk's cool and calm demeanor disappeared.

"You touch my stuff or bring up my sister again I will fucking kill you and I don't get care if I get a lethal injection for it." Punk threatened snatching the picture from him.

"I liked your sister." Kevin defended as Punk's face turned red. "A lot in fact, she used to do this thing in bed..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Punk screamed shoving Kevin who just laughed.

"We passed her around like a joint." Kevin remembered fondly as Punk began to reach for his gun and Kevin just laughed at the action. "I'm only bringing this up because I want to let you know that Paul wants you to remember how easy it was to do that to your big sister imagine how easy it will be to do it to your impressionable little sisters or better yet, your new pussy-" he stopped talking when Punk pulled his gun and pressed it to his temple backing him against the wall.

"Don't talk about my sisters." Punk warned him.

"They're not even your real sisters." Kevin said completely unbothered by Punk's threat.

"I don't know what you've done to piss off my partner so much but I'm going to talk him into putting his gun down and you're going to walk onto the elevator without saying a word." Shawn said approach the two calmly.

"I'm an old friend from Chicago." Kevin said with a chuckle. "He's just high strung."

"This town isn't used to this kind of action." Shawn said to Punk simply. "I also won't be able to defend this."

Punk slowly lowered his gun as Kevin adjusted his jacket and stood up straight.

"I have to get back home. Punk it was great seeing you again and it was great to see Ms. Mendez." Kevin said to him and Punk went to lift his gun again but Shawn held his arm down.

"So long now." Shawn waved him off sarcastically. "Want to tell me what all of that was about?" he asked following Punk back into apartment.

"Nope." Punk said pacing back and forth. "I just need to calm down."

"Wow you keep your place spotless." Shawn said looking around the place.

"He's a cop from Chicago." Punk said ignoring his statement.

"He had a hand in what happened to your sister?" Shawn asked and Punk nodded. "It still weighs on you." he said to Punk. "I see it in your face everyday you either have to let it go and leave it in the past or move on."

"I can't do either." Punk admitted.

"You have a new life here." Shawn pointed out. "Do you want to live in the past or in the present?"

"It's him that keeps bringing it up." Punk argued.

"Maybe because you were hiding your friend?" Shawn suggested and Punk was surprised. "I know everything that goes on in this town." he said smugly. "And no April didn't tell me or anyone I got a call from Vickie at the diner who told me a Chicago cop was hassling April a few days ago and looked into it."

"You knew about Colt?" Punk asked him.

"Yup." Shawn whistled. "The Ruiz called and told me someone was in April's house while she was out and when I swung by I peeked in and saw your buddy on the couch. I recognized him from that big group picture you keep hidden in your desk drawer."

"You snoop through my desk?" Punk asked with a laugh.

"I'm a cop." Shawn shrugged innocently. "Why do you hide those pictures anyway?"

"I don't know." Punk said to him.

"Put them up and remind yourself as to why you're here." Shawn said to him. "I look at that picture of Cheryl on my desk after every hard case and it does me wonders."

"I don't think looking at pictures at dead relatives and former friends is going to motivate me." Punk admitted.

"I know you're having a hard time adjusting here." Shawn sympathized. "And if it makes you feel any better the town has accepted you with open arms. Including me."

"It does mean something." Punk admitted quietly.

"We're a family here and next time you're hiding out friends or someone from your past is giving you a hard time let me know." Shawn insisted. "We are partners."

"I didn't want to drag you into anything." Punk told him. "It's not that I don't trust you."

"I get it." Shawn said to him. "Just for future reference."

"I'll remember it." Punk said to him. "And thanks for talking me down."

"No problem." Shawn said to him. "I just wanted to drop this off to you." He said passing him his wallet. "You left in your desk."

"You're not going to find anything scandalous in my desk." Punk laughed.

"Found your wallet didn't I?" Shawn laughed walking to the door.

"Did you tell AJ I would be off Sunday night?" Punk asked him.

"I did." Shawn laughed. "Dinner with her daddy, can't let her go through that alone."

"Thanks for that." Punk snorted.

"She needs someone to look out for her." Shawn said to him. "I know it's not you responsibility and I'm not even sure you want to do it but you're getting stuck with that job."

"I don't mind it." Punk admitted honestly.

"Her father has a way of making her question everything. A man who doesn't know her at all can push all the wrong buttons." Shawn said to him and he nodded.

"I'll take care of her." Punk promised.

"You better." Shawn warned with a laugh then left.

* * *

AJ looked at her watch as she sat across from her father and stepmother who she had just met.

"He got caught up at work with a case." AJ said to them. "He'll be any minute."

"He won't mind if we order will he?" Robert asked looking over the menu. "I'm starving."

"Don't be rude Robert." Gloria his wife scolded.

"He knew what time dinner was." Robert said to her.

"He has an important job." Gloria reminded him. His much younger wife was so far AJ's favorite person at the table. She was lovely and nice to AJ and now she was defending Punk. Her long blonde hair and perfect figure after two children seemed almost unrealistic. She was like a Barbie and now she was nice to boot.

"A very important job." AJ agreed. "A job that kept me alive."

"I thought that was Agent Cena." Robert noted closing his menu.

"No because every time John was in charge of my protection detail it got breached and people ended up dead." AJ informed him.

"Hey." Punk greeted as he walked over to the table.

"About time." Robert mumbled picking up his menu but Punk ignored him and kissed AJ's cheek as he took the seat next to her.

"Phil this is my father's wife Gloria." She introduced.

"I've heard an awful lot about you Detective." Gloria smiled extending her long toned arm towards Punk so he could shake her hand.

"You can call me Phil." Punk smiled politely.

"I used to date a man named Phil." She smiled and Robert rolled his eyes.

"Alright lets get to the reason we're here tonight." Robert began clapping his hands together.

"I thought you were hungry and wanted to eat?" AJ questioned.

"I do and we will but I need to talk to you first." Robert began. "Gloria and I have been talking about this for a few weeks now..." he started off.

"We want you to come to LA and live with us." Gloria announced happily.

"What?" AJ asked with a laugh.

"Don't you think you're about twenty years too late for that question?" Punk asked him.

"Better late then never." Robert smirked at him.

"You could get to know your little brother and sister." Gloria pointed out happily "And I know Robert needs an assistant at the office."

"Why?" AJ asked them.

"Because clearly this isn't the place for you." Robert said to her. "You don't have any family out here-"

"She didn't have that eight years ago either." Punk pointed out.

"I invited you to dinner because I know my daughter respects you and I was hoping you'd convince her this is the right thing for her to do." Robert said to Punk.'

"Why would I help you get AJ to move out of town?" Punk scoffed.

"Because you would want what's best for her wouldn't you? I mean that's what you preached the entire time you worked her case." Robert reminded him.

"I'm not leaving town." AJ smiled. "But thank you."

"What is keeping you here?" Robert asked her.

"My home for starters." She said to him.

"Why do you even want to live there anymore?" Robert asked her. "There's a lot of bad memories there."

"And a lot of good ones. It's all I have left of mom." AJ pointed out sadly.

"Look April the house, it's old." Robert began. "And it's awfully big for just one person."

"Charger is there too." AJ pointed out.

"Right." Robert smiled warmly. "Maybe if you want to stay in town you might want to be in a place that doesn't have all of that baggage. I just worry about you alone in such a big place."

"LA has the most beautiful apartments." Gloria suggested with a smile. "Actually we have a beautiful pool house on our property that would fit you and Charger."

"Why don't you stop beating around the bush?" Punk suggested looking at Robert.

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked Punk who didn't take his smug smirk off of his girlfriends father.

"He's trying to tell you he's kicking you out of your house." Punk said to her.

"No." She said to him then looked at her father. "That's not what you're doing is it?"

"We've been struggling a bit." Gloria admitted and Robert shushed her.

"It's not like that April, it's just the market is good and-" Robert began.

"You're selling my house?" AJ asked him.

"It's technically my house it's in my name." Robert reminded her.

"I lived there longer than you." AJ argued.

"I'm not doing this to upset you." Robert added. "It's just I don't have the extra money to pay the mortgage and utilities anymore."

"So all of this about moving to LA to get to know my family was bullshit?" AJ asked him.

"Language April." Robert scolded and Punk rolled his eyes.

"No of course not. We'd love to have you." Gloria said to her. "You too Detective." She said shooting Punk a smile. "You could visit anytime you want."

"I'm not going to LA." AJ said to him.

"You have a degree April, you're an adult and more than capable of taking care of yourself now." Robert said to her.

"You're cutting me off completely?" she asked him stunned. "You have a house big enough to have a smaller house out by the pool and you're throwing your only child out on the street?"

"You're not my only child April." Robert reminded her.

"We're not doing that, that's why we offered you our home." Gloria smiled.

"I don't want to be a guest in your home I want my home." AJ argued.

"I'm selling the house." Robert told her sternly. "I'd like you to come to LA and stay with us and I'll help you get on your feet-"

"I don't need you to help me get back on my feet." AJ said disgusted. "And this isn't about the money, I can provide for myself."

"Yet you haven't made one attempt to do so." Robert pointed out. "You've been living off of my money your entire life-"

"No since I was 17 and my mother who provided me was killed." AJ argued.

"You can't use that as an excuse for the rest of your life." Robert said sadly.

"How much are you selling the house for?" AJ asked him.

"You won't be able to afford it." Robert said to her.

"You know what? Fine." AJ said throwing her napkin down.

"Don't stomp off April let's discuss this." Robert said to her.

"I'll be out of your house by the time you put it up for sale." AJ assured him.

"Don't be ridiculous April." Robert said to her.

"I'll buy it." Punk offered.

"You will not." AJ hissed at him. "You will not give this man a dime."

"I already have an interested buyer." Robert said to him.

"I'll pay more." Punk shrugged.

"Absolutely not!" she yelled standing up.

"It's going to happen fast." Robert warned her. "I'm finalizing everything now-"

"You already sold it didn't you?" AJ asked him. "You couldn't buy it even if you wanted to." She said looking at Punk. "You just sold the last thing I had left of my mother." she said sadly as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"How much time does she have?" Punk asked him.

"Three weeks." Robert told him. "LA is beautiful this time of year."

"So is New Jersey." she said grabbing her jacket. "I hate you for this and will never forgive you."

"April don't say things like that." Robert said sadly.

"Fuck you." AJ snapped and his eyes widened.

"She learn that language from you?" he asked Punk.

"Don't talk to him." AJ warned Punk who remained quiet mostly out of fear of April. "Now that you're not paying for anything anymore we have nothing to discuss anymore- ever. Don't call me, don't visit."

"April please-" Robert started standing up but AJ rand out of the diner. He made his way towards the door but Punk stopped him.

"You've done enough haven't you?" Punk asked annoyed. "How could you be so cold to her? She's never asked you for a damn thing."

"Do you think I like doing this?" Robert asked him.

"You're wrong and you know it." Punk snapped then headed out of the diner.

Punk had parked right next to AJ and her car was already gone. On a snowy night like this and her being so upset he was worried about her being on the road.

"She left already?" Robert asked.

"Just leave her alone." Punk said moving to his own car.

"She's my daughter." Robert reminded him. "It's my job to worry about her."

"It is but not when it's convenient for you." Punk said to him.

"I'm having money trouble, the practice is falling and I need to cut expenses." Robert defended. "It kills me to do this to her."

"I understand money trouble but you went about this wrong. Also three weeks notice for her to pack up up her things, her mom's things- it's fucking wrong. I'll buy that house off of you." he said to him.

"It's a done deal Detective." Robert said to him. "But I appreciate you trying to help."

"Trying to help AJ not you." Punk reminded him slowly.

"She's not going to talk to me again is she?" Robert asked him.

"She will. She's a fantastic woman it's just too bad you never got a chance to get to know her." Punk shrugged then got into his car.

* * *

Punk drove pass AJ's first and her car wasn't there and her lights were all out, he then drove passed Shawn's thinking she'd want to talk to Cheryl but they hadn't seen her either. He took a random shot and headed to the only catholic cemetery in town and saw her car parked. He got out and spotted her a yard or so away sitting on a small bench by a grave.

"I was worried about you." he said causing her to look up.

"I'm sorry." she said to him. "I just had to get out of there."

"I understand. Mind if I join you?" he asked as the snow lightened the dark night.

"Sure." She said scooting down. He looked across and saw her mom's name written across the gravestone. "It's not about the money I don't want you to think I'm selfish."

"I don't think that at all." Punk said to her. "I know that house holds a special place in your heart for your mother."

"It's all gone now." She said to him. "I don't want to throw out her stuff."

"We'll get a storage unit and store everything." He said to her. "I'll help."

"I know you will." She said with a faint smile.

"You're also more than welcome to stay with me until for as long as you need." Punk offered.

"I have some money saved up, I mean it's his money but I didn't splurge on anything so I can get a place and be ok for a few weeks." she said to him. "But thanks anyway."

"I wish you'd let me try to help with buying the house." Punk said to her.

"You don't have that kind of money but I appreciate the offer." She smiled kissing his cheek.

"I do have that kind of money." Punk said to her. "I could probably buy your house ten times over if I wanted."

"Don't tell me I'm dating a secret millionaire." she laughed.

"It's not really a secret." Punk shrugged. "I inherited a lot of money when I was younger and didn't spend a lot of it. Just on my place in Chicago."

"Why do you work?" she asked him.

"I like my job." He said simply. "I don't like money." he laughed. "But I'm fortunate enough to have enough of it to help you out."

"That is really nice of you and thank you for offering but I'm going to do this on my own. Like I said I have money saved and I can get a job." she shrugged. "How hard could it be? I have a college degree and I'm pretty smart."

"You are." Punk agreed. "Everyone in town loves you I'm sure they'd all hire you."

"Yea." She said almost proudly. "Maybe this is the best thing that could have ever happened to me."

"That's a great way to look at it." Punk agreed.

"I wish he didn't make it so hard to love him." AJ admitted. "I shouldn't be mad about being cut off I'm old enough to do things on my own."

"That's not the point." Punk said to her. "You're going to freeze out here." he noted.

"You can go I just want to stay with her for a little bit longer." She said to him.

"I have nowhere to be." Punk said simply. "As long as you don't mind the company."

"Not at all." She said and rested her head against his shoulder as the snow lightly fell and stuck to the grass around them.


	17. Perfect Stranger

**Perfect Stranger**

* * *

Three weeks were approaching and the deadline to be out of the house was almost up. She was having trouble finding and apartment that would take Charger as well and some issues finding a job. She was all packed up and moved most of her mothers stuff into a storage unit but she just needed a place to go. Punk had been more than helpful in packing up her place and helping her apartment search. The day before she had to be out she did luck out and get a place that would also take Charger. It was much smaller then she expected but she was pretty proud of herself.

"Ok keep your eyes closed." She said holding Punk's hand.

"I don't have a choice I've been blindfolded the entire ride." Punk said to her. "Speaking of are you even living in town? The drive was like thirty minutes."

"Twenty." She corrected. "Now I haven't decorated or anything." she said helping him up a few steps.

"You got a house?" he asked as he heard a door close behind him.

"Something like that." She eagerly. "Ok take your blindfold off!" she announced and he lifted the blindfold off of his eyes and his face dropped.

"What do you think?" she asked excitedly.

"It's a trailer." Punk said to her as he eyed the extremely small trailer.

"Yea I know but I own it!" she announced.

"You already bought this?" Punk asked her.

"I sure did. And there's plenty of dogs in this park so Charger will have friends!" she said to him.

"It's small." Punk noted.

"Are you embarrassed your girlfriend lives in a trailer park?" She asked folding her arms.

"Not at all." he said to her. "But I'm concerned. The rare work I actually do in this town comes from this area and your new neighbors."

"I already know most of the people here." She said to him.

"Is this even big enough for both you and Charger?" he asked her.

"Yes and again like I said at least it's something that's in my name and no one can take it away from me." she said to him proudly.

"Alright." Punk said to her feeling uneasy. "Where are you going to put all of your stuff?"

"I guess most of the furniture will go into storage for now." She shrugged. "I just need clothes and the basic stuff. At least it's not a lot to clean."

"Yea and I mean look at your kitchen." Punk said nodding towards the small sink and mini refrigerator. "Imagine all of the big meals you're going to make in this huge area."

"I don't have stove Phil." She said annoyed. "Why are you ruining this for me?"

"Get your money back." Punk said to her. "This is ridiculous."

"Plenty of people live like this Phil." She argued.

"You need more space." he laughed. "Stay with me."

"I don't want to be supported by any man ever again." She said to him.  
"You think I'd ever do to you what your father has done to you?" Punk asked her. "You don't know me well enough by now?"

"I barely know you!" She laughed annoyed.

"Barely know me?" He scoffed. "I've told you more about my life then anyone!"

"Which is nothing!" she yelled back at him. "You never discuss your birth parents, you refuse to introduce me to your sisters or adoptive mother, you never tell me any personal stories about your childhood or your family or even fun stories with your friends! I don't even know your dating history, if you have any children, if you've ever been married-"

"Don't be crazy." he scoffed waving his hand in annoyance.

"It's not crazy." She argued. "You know so much about me, you let me cry on your shoulder, I confide in you constantly and you just listen!"

"You do like to talk a lot." He noted and now she was offended.

"Every time I ask you a personal question you change the subject. You don't want to share with me because you clearly don't trust me!" she yelled.

"That's not the case and you know it. I'm a private guy and I don't like to talk about my feelings it's easier for some people." he defended.

"I'd feel like I was living with a stranger." She said to him honestly.

"A stranger? After everything I've done for you? Spent months protecting you? I'm a fucking stranger!?" he shouted. "I want you to live with me so obviously I trust you! And you're going to fucking hate it here! You can't cook, you won't even have enough room for your books! Put your pride aside and let me help you!"

"I don't want your help! I have to do this on my own. I can only depend on myself." she said to him folding her arms.

"Ok AJ you're right." He laughed walking to the door. "Send me an invite to your house warming maybe after we can talk a little and we won't be such strangers."

"The conversation would have to involve both speaking." She shot at him.

"Maybe when you can up for air I'll get a word in." he remarked with a laugh and she narrowed his eyes at him and placed her hands on his hips.

"You're not invited to my housewarming." She said feeling proud of herself.

"Yea I know there will be a space issue." Punk smirked. "Enjoy your shit hole home." he snapped and walked out of the trailer slamming the crappy door on his way out.

* * *

Punk saw a patrol car in the trailer park and they gave him a ride back to the station where his car was. He went back to his desk and threw his keys on the desk and huffed in annoyance as he tried his computer back on. Shawn watched for an hour as Punk battled the computer, the phone, the rookie who accidentally spilled his coffee on Punk's shoes and now he was back to battling the computer.

"Fucking piece of crap." he said hitting the old computer.

"Bad lunch?" Shawn asked from across him.

"She bought a trailer." Punk told him.

"Good for her." Shawn said to him.

"No she's going to hate it there. She didn't even think about it she just bought it!" he announced. "I asked her to live with me and do you know what she said? She said she doesn't even know me. We've been together for a month now and we were practically living together when Jake was out. How could she even say that to me?"

"You are a private guy." Shawn pointed out reluctantly.

"It's just the way I am." he defended. "My life isn't something to brag about."

"And hers is?" Shawn asked him. "Believe me she doesn't just open to up like she has to you. Also take into account that she just lost the only home she has ever lived in, betrayed by her father, has no job, no money and is probably terrified."

"I want to help her." Punk pointed out. "I've tried. I even offered to try to buy her home."

"Just try to be patient with her." Shawn suggested. "She's freaking out."

"Well she can tell me that." Punk laughed annoyed. "She complains about me not being open and now she's not sharing with me? Hypocrite." he scoffed then again hit his computer. "Fuck!" he yelled.

"She's probably just tired of constantly asking for help." Shawn said to him.

"She doesn't ask for anything." Punk snorted.

"You know what I'm talking about, with Jake." Shawn pointed out. "April was brought home from the hospital to that home, her first steps, her fourth birthday where they hired a clown that scared her so much she locked herself in the basement, she fell down her front stairs and broke her foot, she spent every holiday with her mother in that home including the Thanksgiving when they hosted almost everybody in the town because of a power outage." He laughed at the memory. "Kelly could really cook." He smiled. "She never left that house after watching her mother die because that's all she had left of her she thinks once she leaves that house all those memories will be gone. She told Becky that she wanted to have children in that house and build even better memories with them and tell them stories about their grandmother they'd never meet. It's got to be hurting her more then she's letting on."

"I'm dating an adult not a kid, if she's upset she should say it. I don't have time to poke around and beg her to speak to me and I won't." He said to Shawn.

"Maybe you should just stop by her place and offer a helping hand." Shawn suggested.

"I've lent her many hands." Punk said to him. "And I'm not stopping by anywhere or speaking to her until she apologizes to me. I'm in the right."

"Unbelievable we should just park out there for good." the unformed officer who drove Punk back said to his partner.

"They should just burn that park to the ground." his partner said to him.

"What happened at the trailer park?" Shawn asked them and Punk's ears perked up.

"There was a robbery and an assault." the officer said to him.

"What?" Punk asked him. "Who was it?"

"A woman we didn't get a name." he said and Punk was already out of his seat.

"We make these calls all of the time there most of the time the women don't even file chargers." the officer said to him. "We don't need a Detective on the call."

"I'll drive." Shawn said ignoring the uniformed officer as Punk was already halfway out the door.

* * *

Punk and Shawn arrived at the park and there were already two uniformed officers. Punk walked right over to the scene and could only see the woman's back as EMT's looked her over and she had long dark hair.

"AJ." He said quietly as he raced towards her. "AJ!" he shouted louder grabbing her shoulder and the woman jumped- it wasn't AJ. "Sorry." Punk said relieved. "I'm Detective Brooks." he introduced.

"And I'm Detective Michaels." Shawn greeted with a friendly smile. "Want to tell me what happened?"

AJ sat on the short steps outside her trailer and watched as Punk, Shawn and other officers spoke to her neighbor who was attacked. Now the uniformed officers were starting to speak to the neighbors and she knew she'd be next.

"Ms. Mendez." Officer Daniels greeted.

"I've got this one." Punk said walking up behind her.

"Sure thing Detective." the officer said to him and headed out.

"It was her husband." AJ said not even looking up at him and picking at her nails. "I heard them arguing."

"That makes this easier since she refused to talk." he said closing his notepad.

"She loves him." She shrugged.

"Are you defending him?" Punk asked her.

"No. I'm just telling you what happened." AJ said still looking at her nails. "I think they were both a little drunk. I knocked on the door and when he answered I could smell it on his breath. He took off before the police got here."

"If he loved her he wouldn't have hurt her. Her face looks terrible." Punk said to her.

"I'm not defending him Phil." She sighed finally looking up at him.

"Do you see why I didn't want you getting a place here?" Punk asked her.

"Do you think I like this anymore than you do?" she asked him feeling defeated.

"I gave you a different option." Punk pointed out.

"And I told you what I thought about your offer." AJ reminded him.

"Yea I opened my home up to you and basically told me to fuck off." He said with a laugh. "I remember it well."

"That's not what I said." She pointed out glaring at him.

"You need to come down to the station and give an official statement." He said avoiding this argument.

"I don't want to." she said to him and he groaned. "She doesn't want to press charges against him what can I do about that?"

"I need you down at the station." He said to her seriously. "Don't make me drag you down there."

"Fine." she said standing up and sticking her hands into her coat pocket. "Officer Daniels! I need a ride to the station!"

"Sure thing Ms. Mendez." he said waving her over to his patrol car.

"What?" she asked looking up at Punk who seemed even more pissed off. "You never said I had to go with you."

Shawn walked over as AJ got into officer Daniels car and placed his hand on Punk's shoulder.

"Women will drive you nuts." Shawn laughed.

"She's driving me fucking crazy!" he hissed then stormed off to his own car.

* * *

By the time Punk arrived at the station he saw AJ was already there and waiting at his desk.

"I'm going to grab some coffee you want one?" Shawn asked him.

"Yea I'm going to need it." Punk grumbled as he walked to his desk. "Can I have my chair?" he asked her.

"I didn't know you have a picture of me at your desk." was her response as she looked towards the framed photo of her there.

"Yea believe it or not I usually like looking at your face." he remarked sarcastically. "Usually." he emphasized.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Because Shawn told me that if I had something on my desk to motivate me it would make me feel better about work." Punk told her as he grabbed a free tree and sat next to her.

"I motivate you?" she asked in a much softer tone.

"I know I keep stuff to myself because I don't like to relive the things I've been through." He told her honestly. "It's different for everybody and I'm just not as strong as you. It doesn't mean I don't trust you or like you because you know I'm nuts about you."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"What was that?" he asked seriously tapping his ear.

"Phil." She warned and he smiled. "I'm sorry." She said louder.

"Me too." he said to her. "I know this isn't easy and you're scared."

"I'm qualified to do nothing." She whispered. "I got turned down from being a waitress! A waitress Phil! Even a gorilla can walk and hold something at the same time. I'm ok for now but what about down the road? How am I going to provide for Charger?"

"You'll get a job." he assured her.

"I'm scared." she whispered. "And I don't want to ask for help because this is something I should be doing on my own."

"You don't have to though." Punk pointed out.

"I also don't want to live with you because I have no options. I want you to truly want me there." she said to him.

"I truly want you there." he said to her and grabbed her hands. "I love having you around me and we spend most nights together anyway. I'm lonely out here." he admitted. "I miss my friends and my family. And you fill a void I didn't even know I had."

"Why didn't you just word it like that before?" she asked with a cute little smile.

"Obviously I have issues with opening up and saying how I feel." He mocked. "And to be honest I only want you to live with me because I know you and Charger are a package deal and you know how much I love Charger." he teased.

"I already put money down on the trailer." She said to him.

"So ask for it back." He shrugged. "I'll go with you."

"Ok." she said to him. "Lets do this. But before I move into your place I really want to leave my house with house with one more good memory."

"Hmm." he said smirking. "Me?"

"Maybe." She teased.

* * *

All of AJ's furniture was gone minus some blankets on the floor in the living room where she was sleeping on her final night. She didn't want to spend the entire night crying and walking down memory lane she wanted to enjoy it and celebrate this new chapter and her amazing boyfriend for opening up his home to her. They were curled up on the floor and it quickly turned into an intense make out session as Punk's hand massaged between her thighs over her thin leggings. She pulled off her shirt leaving her in a lace black bra as he continued to tease her relentlessly over her pants and nipped at her lips.

"So good." she moaned happily as she pulled away for air and he could see how swollen her lips were.

"To think you could get this every night." he said as he continued to tease her.

"Every single night?" She gasped with a laugh.

"Every single one." He confirmed. "I'll put you to sleep like this."

"This won't make me want to sleep." AJ grinned and he went back to kissing her.

Punk could feel her moister now over her pants and he was sure proud of himself. He would do this all night to her and never get bored but she was growing impatient. Punk's kisses moved from her lips and over her jawline and down to her neck. She ran her fingers over his hair and gently guided his head where she really wanted his mouth. He kissed over her collarbone and in-between her breasts and moved down her stomach in a perfectly straight line. Her knees were bent and her legs were to open him and he began to leave kisses in the now wet spot of her pants.

"Phil." she complained.

"You don't like this?" he teased using his full face against her.

"I like it...a lot but I want more." She whined arching slightly.

"I think I could make you cum in your pants." he said proudly.

"You could make me cum by looking at me." she snapped and his head shot up proudly.

"Yea? I could do that to you?" he asked smugly.

"Phil please." she almost cried.

"Ok." he said simply and she felt relieved. She felt his fingertips at the top of her tight pants but he froze when the doorbell rang.

"Just ignore it." AJ whispered.

"Are you sure?" Punk asked.

"Phil please." She cried and he went to tug her pants down again but the bell ringing continued.

"Oh fuck." He snapped standing up.

"I'll get it." She said sitting up.

"No you stay here you're in no condition to walk around." He said throwing a blanket over her and walked to the door. He opened the door to see the most annoying man on this planet.

"Agent Cena." Punk said annoyed. "Can I help you?"

"No I'm here to see April." John said to him and tried to step in but Punk held his arm up so he coldn't enter.

"You don't have permission to enter." Punk grinned.

"I have AJ's laptop." He said holding out.

"Great! One month later." He said annoyed taking it from him. "Have a good night." he began to close the door but John held his arm out now to stop him.

"I need one minute with her." John said to him.

"She's sleeping." Punk said to him.

"At 6pm?" John snorted.

"Yup. She has a big day tomorrow." Punk shrugged. "I'll tell her you dropped this off."

"What's going on?" AJ asked walking over with the blanket wrapped around her.

"Oh sorry for interrupting." John said to her.

"Are you really?" Punk asked sarcastically.

"Thanks for bringing my laptop by and I'd love to catch up another time-" she started, she was very anxious to get back to Punk ravishing her.

"I wanted to apologize." he said to her and Punk rolled his eyes.

"Speed this up Superman." Punk encouraged. "I was literally in the middle of something very important." AJ blushed at Punk's comment and had to turn her head slightly but Punk kept a straight serious face.

"I didn't realize you weren't aware your dad was selling the house." John said to her. "I would have waited-"

"You bought my house?" AJ asked him stunned.

"I did. I told your dad that I was looking for a place out here and he said he was selling here. I assumed you were well aware of it." John said to her.

"I can't believe it." AJ muttered.

"Why do you need a house out here? Punk asked him.

"I want to spend more time home near my family." John shrugged. "Your dad asked me to talk to you."

"Fucking ballsy." Punk spat.

"Phil it's not his fault." AJ said to him.

"I just wanted you to know you don't have to rush out of here if you're not ready. I would never throw you out on the street, keep your bedroom in the meantime-" John offered.

"You think my girlfriend is going to bunk with you?" Punk laughed.

"I'm just trying to be friendly." John said to him.

"I'll be out by morning." AJ told him.  
"Yea and if you get anymore urges to be friendly with AJ you can stop by my apartment where she will be living." Punk informed him smugly.

"Good for you two." John smiled. "Again I'm real sorry AJ."

"It's ok." She said to him.  
"And sorry about the laptop taking so long." John said to her. "Sorry for bothering you guys."

"So long." Punk said coldly.

"Wait!" AJ yelled. "John have you heard anything about Jake?"

"He's coming along." John said casually. "They don't think he has brain damage-"

"Wait he's awake?" AJ asked him.

"You weren't notified?" John asked her.

"Does she look like she was fucking notified?" Punk demanded. "How could you not tell her? Or at least the police department out here?"

"He's still on a breathing tub he can't go anywhere and he's no threat." John told them. "He's not running around or anything."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Punk asked taking a step towards him.

"Stop Phil." She said jumping between them. "If you come by early enough tomorrow I'll go over some things with the house."

"I'd like that." John smiled.

"Don't like it too much because I'll be here too." Punk smirked. "And I want a formal report on Jake Miller's condition."

"Sounds like we'll have a lot to discuss at breakfast. I'll bring coffee." He smirked then walked down the porch steps.

"Leave it to that guy to kill my fucking boner." Punk groaned slamming the door closed as AJ placed her laptop on the floor.

"That's a shame because I'm still wet." she said simply.

"Oh really?" Punk asked annoyed.

"Not because of him." She laughed dropping the blanket and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"How could you even be in the mood? Jake Miller woke up, your house-" he rambled.

"Because I want to be happy. I want one more happy memory in here and I want you to give it to me." She said to him.

"I'll give it to you alright." He said tugging her against his body and lifting her by the ass so her legs were wrapped around his waist and he went back to kissing her as he carefully dropped her to the floor.

"We don't have start all over." She said anxiously.

"Ok." He laughed pulling her pants down finally. "Oh my." he said looking at her damp panties sticking to her body.

"Stop neglecting me." She teased in a crying voice.

"I'm sorry." he said pulling the wet garment down her amazing legs now.

She was on her side and Punk slide between her legs and his mouth was right where she wanted him. AJ was silent with little gasps as he mouthed her most sensitive spot. He moved so she was laying flat on her back and moved her own hands over her breasts and began to play with herself. Punk's eyes shot up as his mouth remained firmly attached to her and was enjoying her moans as she cupped her own breasts. His hand moved to his shorts and he pulled himself out and began to stroke himself.

AJ looked down and saw how multi-talented her man truly was. Pleasing her and himself at the same time. She moved her hands off of herself and began to play with his short hair as she tugged her body harder against his face. Punk let himself go and cupped her behind to lift her more and was able to delve his tongue deeper into her body. Her knees were draped over his shoulder and he knew she was close to coming just by the way her body began to resist him. His hand pinched her ass causing her to bite down hard on her lip and she came that instant.

"Wow." She said as he dropped her lower half back to the floor and watched as he pulled his shirt over his head then began to stroke himself.

"You're bleeding." He frowned looking at her lip and running his thumb over it.

"It was worth it." She smirked. She sat up slightly and began to stroke him and looked directly into his eyes while doing it. "Thank you for taking such good care of me and I don't just mean with the house, I mean physically as well."

"I like taking care of you." He said to her. "I like the way you take care of me."

AJ laid back now and Punk hard and ready for her. She already spread her legs and he slapped in-between her thighs where she was still sensitive and she cried out in pleasure.

"You're still good to go." He smirked and teased her entrance with the tip of his middle finger.

"I'm always ready for you." She said with her sprawled out against the blanket and ran her hands over his chest.

He slid his finger into her totally and she clenched her muscles around it almost to trap him. He slid it out very slowly and it was glistening.

"See? Always ready." She said to him and he ran his finger over her top lip that didn't have the small cut that had already stopped bleeding and slipped his finger into her mouth.

Punk kept busy with himself as he began to slid in her folds and tease her. She was sucking on his finger and tasting herself while never taking her eyes off of him. Punk removed his hands and placed his hand on her hip as he continued teasing her and took his head and rubbed against her.

"You're such a tease." She pouted.

"You'll get it." He said surely.

"Now?" She asked.

"You're so impatient." He snorted.

"I really just-" She stopped mid-sentence as he penetrated her unexpectedly.

"Nothing to say now?" He teased as he began to thrust his hip as he sat on his knees. "Huh?" he mocked grabbing her hips and pulling her hard against him causing he to scream out and sit up.

Punk kissed her as he moved to sit on his ass and she was sitting as well with her legs around his body. His hips never stopped moving but she began to take over and picked up her pace. She was now on her knees and rolling into him quickly. Punk's hands moved to her ass as his fingers teased her back there.

"How do you like that?" she asked as he arms wrapped his neck.

"I like." He growled. "I like a lot."

"If you put me to bed every night like you promised I might just wake you up like this every morning." She said in an almost warning voice.

"Oh fuck AJ, don't make promises you can't keep." He warned her as his hands moved her hips now and increased her movements. "Oh that's fucking good." Punk groaned.

AJ's hands moved to his shoulders as she moved rougher and she knew he was about to come. She had known him long enough now to know what face he makes when he was about explode. It's cute but very distinctive. His face looks almost serious and pretty reluctant to let his body release. He would have sex for days if it were up to him.

"Phil." She whispered knowing he was going to release first.

"You're right there with me baby." He said already knowing as he moved his thumb over her nub and rubbed her roughly. "That's it." he said to her and as he felt his release about to hit he rubbed her as hard as he could then grabbed her hips and dropped her hard against him and both came at the same time.

"Oh fuck Phil." She rasped out breathlessly.  
"Good memory?" he asked letting her cling to his body and not daring to move her.

"Best memory." she said as he ran his hands over her back to sooth her. She kissed his check then the corner of his mouth before capturing his lips. She cupped his face with her hand and she looked she had something to say.

"What?" he asked her.

She just gave him a sweet smile and opted to remain silent and not let the perfect moment get ruined. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as her heart pounded against his chest. She knew the minute this night was over it was back to reality. But she did have him at her side so she knew she'd be able to face anything head on.

Punk kissed anywhere he could reach which was her shoulder and used his teeth to pull her bra strap down so he could have better exposure to kiss. The tips of his fingers played with the ends of her long beautiful hair. She moved her head so he would stop kissing her shoulder and looked up at her with wide eyes. She looked serious and almost concerned but she just leaned down and kissed him deeply as she pushed him back down onto the floor...


	18. Sexy Roommate

**Sexy Roommate**

* * *

"Where do you want this?" Shawn asked holding a box.

"That can go into the bedroom." AJ pointed. She was officially moving into Punk's place. He told her to bring anything she wanted but even the bare necessities were a lot of boxes. Punk's apartment was a nice size but now it was feeling cramped.

"Where is Punk?" Cheryl asked as she helped AJ unpack.

"He went to try to get my deposit back on my trailer." She said to her. "He also was trying to catch John."

"I can't believe he bought your house." Shawn grumbled dropping a heavy box.

"It's ok." She said simply. "Phil is far more upset about it then I am. He was supposed to come by in the morning but he never showed."

"Charger no!" AJ scolded as Charger stuck his nose into the garbage. "He just wants info on Jake. He had no idea he was awake."

"Awake?" Shawn asked. "Jake Miller woke up?"

"Apparently." She said to him.

"And Agent Cena didn't find that bit of information important enough to share with us?" Shawn asked her.

"You sound like Phil now." AJ said sliding a box into the spare bedroom.

"He's not wrong. You should have been notified." Cheryl said to her. "What if he escapes from the hospital?"

"John said he's in no condition." AJ said to her.

"I'm surprised Punk didn't drag him inside and beat him for more information." Shawn said moving another box.

"We were busy when John showed up." AJ shrugged.

"Ugh." Shawn said and Cheryl laughed.

"Oh April I spoke to Heath down at the hardware shop and he said for you to stop by." Cheryl told her.

"Why?" AJ asked confused.

"He needs someone to open for him a few days a week." Cheryl said to her and AJ's eyes lit up. "I suggested you and he said to come down and talk to him as soon as you could."

"I don't know anything about hardware." AJ admitted.

"You don't need to know anything you just need to know how to stand there and take money from people." Shawn smirked.

"I'll take anything." She said to them. "I really want to chip in here and earn my own money for once."

"I'm proud of you." Cheryl said to her. "A lot of people would have been kicking and screaming but here you are accepting this and making some changes."

"I don't really have a choice." AJ said to her. "I'm not a kid anymore he doesn't have to pay for anything."

"It's the least he could have done." Shawn muttered.

"He has his own family to worry about it." AJ pointed out.

"And you're not family?" Shawn demanded.

"No. I never was." She said simply.

"Punk's place is so nice." Cheryl noted getting off the topic.

"It is. I hope he doesn't mind me taking over his place." she laughed.

"I'm sure he doesn't mind or he wouldn't have fought so hard for this." Shawn said to her. "I just wish your amazing boyfriend was here to oh I don't know, help unpack you." He snorted.

"Like I said he's Cena hunting." AJ reminded him.

* * *

John walked into his new home with only one box in his hands and kicked the door closed behind him.

"You're late." Punk greeted from the stairs startling John who dropped his box.

"Are you crazy?" John snapped. "This isn't April's home anymore you can't just come and go as you please."

"You said you'd be by in the morning to discuss Jake Miller." Punk pointed out. "I want to know what's going on with him."

"He woke up, he can barely walk or move, he's in rehabilitation he's not getting to April. He's under 24 hour watch." John said to him.

"How much did you pay for this house?" Punk asked him now.

"None of your business." John laughed.

"I'll buy it off of you." Punk said standing to his feet.

"It's not for sale." John grinned.

"Why would you even want this place?" Punk asked him. "AJ doesn't come with the house."

"It was for sale." John said to him.

"No it wasn't." Punk scoffed.

"What's the matter? You don't want April living with you?" John questioned. "Second guessing rushing into this?"

"Not at all. If I got this place back for AJ maybe I'd move in with her." Punk shrugged. "There's no rushing at all. I just know how much this place means to her. She's never lived anywhere else before."

"I'm not going to feel bad about purchasing a home." John said to him annoyed. "I told April she could stay as long as it took to get back on her feet."

"She was never knocked off of them." Punk remarked. "She's a remarkable woman."

"Well she has good man in her life to help her." John smiled.

"And don't you forget it." He smirked. "Seriously how much will it take to buy this place off your hands?"

"Where would I live? You need a roommate after AJ moves back in?" he joked.

"You could have my apartment but I won't be there." Punk smirked. "I'll be here with her."

"You seem sure of that." John grinned.

"We're excited to live together. Whether it's at my apartment, here or that crappy trailer she bought we'd be happy." Punk said to him.

"So you'll be happy in your apartment or maybe you'll take her to that huge townhouse in Chicago." John suggested.

"I live and work here I'm not going back to Chicago." Punk informed him. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Why would that disappoint me?" John questioned.

"You don't like me very much. You never have. You don't like the way I dress, the way I look, the way I do my job but you don't say anything about it because I always get the job done." Punk said to him.

"That's true." John agreed.

"Why won't you just let me buy this place off of you?" Punk asked him.

"I like it here." John said to him. "It's out of the way, no one noising around, it's got rich history- it already feels like a home."

"Ok." Punk smiled walking to the door. "I'll be back tomorrow with an offer, and the day after that and that until you finally cave."

"I don't cave." John smirked.

"Money talks." Punk reminded him before walking out the door.

* * *

After stopping at the trailer park Punk headed to his apartment where he found AJ unpacking some boxes in the bedroom.

"Hey." Punk greeted.

"Welcome home." She greeted and he gave her a quick kiss then looked around his bedroom covered in boxes. "I know it's a lot but I'm working on it."

"It's fine." he said to her. "Want some help?"

"If you'd like." She smiled and he grabbed a random box and opened it.

"Sweet." he grinned and she walked over and peeked inside and saw it was her underwear and bra's.

"Don't be a perv." she laughed. "I didn't know where to put them."

"Here." he said opening the top drawer to his dresser and picked all of his stuff up and shoved into the second one. "I'll put it in here."

"Oh I have great news!" she squealed. "I got a job!"

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes at the hardware shop." She told him. "I start tomorrow."

"Which hardware shop?" he asked.

"There's only one in town." She laughed.

"Oh right." He laughed. "And I've got good news for you." he said reaching into his pocket and pulling some cash out. "I couldn't get your full deposit back but I got most of it."

"Oh keep it." she said to him. "Put it towards rent or something."

Punk walked over to her and took the roll of cash and dropped it down her shirt.

"You keep it." he said to her.

"We didn't discuss rent by the way." She said pulling the money out of her shirt.

"Oh yea I meant to talk to you about that." Punk started as he started to just toss AJ's things into the drawer. "It's a daily payment."

"Daily?" She asked confused.

"At least one kiss a day. Thirty total a month." he said not folding or organizing the drawer.

"That's not real rent." she smirked.

"That is real rent." he said to her.

"Is that how you and Colt worked out rent?" she asked keeping a straight face.

"Don't be a wise ass." He smirked at her.

"Did you see John?" AJ asked him.

"I did and he gave me no information about Jake so tomorrow I'm going to drive to the hospital and check in on him." Punk told her as he moved on to the next box already.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked him.

"Yea don't you want to know?" he asked her.

"I guess." She shrugged. "I have to take Charger out for a walk. I'll start dinner when I get back."

"You don't have to cook." he said to her.

"I want to." she said to him. "And before I forget we're invited to Shawn's 50th birthday party but it's a surprise so don't say anything. It's next Saturday."

"Got it." he said to her. "I'll unpack some more."

"Oh and before I forget come here." she said grabbing him by his hand and pulling him into the living room. "If you hate it I'll take it down."

"Oh boy." He mumbled then she grabbed a picture frame off of the coffee table.

"It's a picture of us." she said showing it to him. "I got it printed off of my phone and I know you don't have a lot of pictures around-"

"I love it." he said with a faint smile.

"Are you sure?" she asked him.

"Very sure." he said passing it back to her. "It's a great picture and this is our place and people should know it when they come in and if you want to move anything around or add something just let me know and we'll change it."

"I'm so glad you bought that up." She smiled.

"Something you don't like about my place?" He asked with a grin as she put on her jacket.

"The bed." She informed him.

"The bed?" he asked and she nodded.

"It's a mattress on the floor practically. Can we just consider a new one? Something where I don't feel like I'm sleeping like a dog on the floor?" she asked hopefully. "I'll buy it! It'll be my treat."

"Do you guys even have a mattress or bed place out here?" he asked her.

"Of course we do." she said to him.

"How about after you walk Charger we go? Then instead of cooking I'll take you to dinner to celebrate?" he suggested.

"Really?" she asked him.

"Really." he said to her.

"Ok I'll be five minutes." she said to him. "Come on Charger!" she shouted.

"Oh and he's not sleeping in the bed." Punk warned her.

"He just likes to sleep at my feet." AJ said to him.

"He's too big." Punk warned her.

"Maybe we'll pick a bigger bed." she suggested. "Then all three of us could fit!" she cheered.

"Or we could get an even smaller one like a double." he suggested.

"We both won't fit on that." She pointed out. "I'd have to sleep directly on top of you."

"That's the point." He grinned.

* * *

At the shop AJ was running around sitting on every bed on display trying to find the perfect one.

"What about this one!" she excitedly pointed out.

"A water bed?" he asked and watched her bounce on it.

"Yea it feels good." She said to him.

"I think we're a little too rough for a water bed." He said to her. "I'd be afraid of popping it or something."

"True." She said as she struggled to get up from it and he extended his hands to her to pull her up fully.

"What about this one?" he asked pointing to a big bed across from it.

Punk pushed his hand down on the mattress and seemed to like it. The headboard was dark and metal which gave it a masculine feel which he liked it.

"This one is nice and big." She noted plopping onto it. "Feels good." she noted leaning back then looked to the headboard. "Nice headboard. Come sit with me try it out." she said and he took a seat on it and leaned back. "Imagine coming home from a late night shift and getting into this."

"As long as you're already in it I'll be happy." he said to her. "And I can tie you up to the headboard." he noted casually.

"You wouldn't." she laughed.

"Oh I would." He said very seriously. "I'll do it one morning and keep you there all day until I get back from work."

"That would be cruel." She smirked.

"I'd make up for it." He said to her.

"Maybe I'll tie you to the headboard." She threatened.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" he asked casually and she let out a laugh and rolled onto her side.

"So do you like this one?" she asked him.

"I do. I think we found a winner." He said to her.

"Usually our customers wait to get the bed home first before they test it." the woman smiled.

"Oh sorry." AJ said sitting up. "We want this one."

"That's a great choice." the woman said to her as AJ jumped off the bed.

"You take credit right?" she asked and the woman smiled.

"Just follow me over to the desk and we'll fill out your paperwork." she said to AJ.

"Great." she walked towards the desk and Punk passed the woman his credit card and placed his fingers to his lips and she smiled and knew that he wanted to pay for it. Punk looked out the window of the place and saw a dark SVU parked outside. He had now seen this same car twice in the last three days and walked right outside but the minute he did the car took off. He knew exactly who was behind the wheel of that car but wasn't sure why.

"Where did you run off to?" AJ asked stepping outside.

"Thought I saw something." he said to her.

"Here." She said annoyed passing him back his credit card. "She already charged your card."

"That was kind of the point." He said putting the card back in his wallet. "I feel since I'm renting you the place that I should provide the bed."

"Right." She scoffed. "It's going to be there next Tuesday." she told him and he grabbed her hand and they began walking back towards their apartment. "Did you want me to go with you tomorrow?"

"To see Jake Miller? No." He said to her. "Unless you wanted to?"

"Ugh god no." She said quickly. "And I'd feel bad taking off my first day of work."

"Oh that's right." Punk said to her.

"It's right there." She said pointing across the street. "I can't believe I have a college degree and I'm going to be working for peanuts in a hardware shop."

"How about your book?" Punk asked her.

"That's just a pipe dream." She said to him.

"I don't think so. I bet it's really good." Punk said as she leaned into his arm happily but he kept looking behind himself to see if the car came back.

"Want to go here for dinner?" She asked stopping outside the diner.

"Is there really anywhere else to eat here?" he teased opening the door for her.

"Our place." She pointed out and they took a seat a booth. "Is this ok Vickie?" she asked the owner.

"Yea sit wherever you want I'll send a waiter over." Vickie assured her.

"My father called me today." AJ said to him.

"Oh yea? What did he say?" he asked.

"I didn't answer." She said looking at the menu.

"Well he-" Punk stopped talking when he felt someone standing over them and glared. "You. Again." he spat.

"Hi John." AJ greeted.

"Hey." he said to her. "Sorry about this morning I was running late."

"It's ok." She said to him.

"I found some stuff in one of the closets. Just old costumes and stuff." he said to her.

"I'll swing by and pick the up tomorrow." She offered.

"Don't be silly I'll bring it to your place." John told her. "Was everything ok with your laptop?"

"I haven't even turned it on yet but I'm sure it's fine." she said to him.

"There is some things I still want to talk to you about." John said then looked over to Punk. "Privately."

"She's going to tell me anyway." Punk said to him.

"It's fine John when you bring over the stuff we'll talk." she said to him.

"No." Punk said annoyed. "What the hell do you have to say to her that you can't say to me?"

"Fine." John said glaring at him. "I'm writing a book which is one of the main reasons I moved back out here."

"No kidding." She said surprised.

"I know you're an English major and I read your book-" he started.

"You read my personal files on my laptop?" she asked him.

"I had to." John said to her.

"No you didn't." Punk scoffed.

"That was really private John." AJ frowned. "I never showed anyone what I wrote."

"Real breech of privacy." Punk agreed. "What is wrong with you? Seriously?"

"We had to go through the laptop to make sure Jake didn't touch anything." John said to them.

"What is your book going to be about?" Punk asked him.

"That's actually a big reason I wanted to talk to AJ." John told him then looked at AJ.

"You're writing a book about Jake?" AJ asked him and he nodded.

"And think of all the copies he's going to sell writing that book in the house where Jake Miller's killer spree started." Punk stated disgusted. "You are the biggest piece of crap I have ever met."

"I just want some insight on your mother." John said to her. "I remember her from town parties and school events-"

"It's not your business to write about her." AJ snapped. "You have her home I'm sure you'll think of something."

"April I just-" he started.

"Could you leave?" Punk asked him. "You're upsetting my girlfriend and that's starting to really piss me off."

"I'll be around tomorrow." John said to them. "Again April I never meant to upset you."

AJ just looked away until John left the diner.

"I can't believe that. He's going to make money off of my mother and trauma." AJ said to him.

"I expected nothing less from a slimy piece of crap like him." Punk noted. "Want me to beat him up?"

"You'd be arrested for beating up an FBI agent." she pointed out.

"One night in lockup won't bother me." He assured her.

"It would bother me." she said to him. "He didn't want my house for no other reason then saying he lived in the Mendez murder house. He'll make a ton of money too."

"Get an injunction." He suggested. "Threaten to sue."

"I don't want to do that. You know I'm not confrontational." she reminded him.

"I am." Punk reminded her happily.

"I know you are honey." She laughed.

* * *

The next morning Punk's alarm went off and rolled right out of bed and onto the floor after turning his phone alarm off. He almost forgot AJ was his new roommate until he walked into the bathroom and saw her through the clear shower glass doors. This was a sight for sore eyes until he realized he needed to shower since he only had a small window to speak to Jake Miller's doctors.

"Uh babe?" he asked knocking on the glass door.

"Yea?" she shouted out.

"I really have to get in there." he said to her. "And if you don't get out in two minutes I'm going to have to come in with you." he warned.

"I just got in." she complained and opened the door on a crack. "It's my first day at my first real job."

"So proud of you for that." He grinned. "But I have to be somewhere at specific time and if I get in there with you I'll be late."

"Just behave." she said opening the door for him. "Keep your hands to yourself and you'll be fine."

"Fine." He groaned pulling down his boxers he slept in and stepped into the hot shower.

Punk was doing well up until he put the shampoo in his hair and then he wasn't sure what happened, she was locked around him and he was pounding her into the tile wall of the shower. Clearly they couldn't shower together without behaving. Now Punk didn't care how late he was as her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her back rested against the wall as he pushed into her roughly.

"Phil I'm going to be late." She warned him and he shot his head up and glared at her.

"I told you I was going to be late." he argued but continued to move into her.

"It's my first day, please baby." She pleaded kissing the tip of his nose. "Finish me."

"What about me?" he asked cupping her ass for leverage. "Huh? I don't get to finish."

"I guess a few minutes late is ok..." she trailed off as her eyes closed from ecstasy.

"You're tightening, you're going to cum." He informed her and she just nodded as her head rested against the wall. A few minutes later she clenched him tightly and groaned as she came around him and he slid out of her body and eased her back onto her feet.

AJ saw he never released himself and dropped to her knees before him and stroked him roughly a few times before taking him into her mouth. The palms of Punks hands rested against the wall as his head looked down at his beautiful girlfriend as she made love to him with her mouth. She stroked and sucked until he came himself and then surprising him, swallowed every last drop of him without gagging once. She released him with a pop and stood up.

"Let's blow off work and do that again." He grinned kissing her lips as the water hit against them.

"No I have to make money and you have to go keep people safe." she said standing under the water then made room for him and rinsed out the shampoo in his short hair.

Twenty minutes to blow her hair out in the bathroom while Punk attempted to shave was another cramped task with there not being a lot of room in the bathroom and both needing the mirror. When she tried to apply her eyeliner he bumped into her and ran the line across her face, Charger scratched at the door until Punk agreed to take him out quickly, Punk cut himself shaving when AJ stepped on his foot on her way out of the bathroom. They were going to have to come up with a better routine.

"Phil I'm leaving!" AJ yelled walking to the door and opening it and there was John Cena again.

"Oh crap." AJ muttered.

"Sorry. I just wanted to drop off your things." John said passing her the box.

"Did you go through all of it and document it so you could put it in your book?" She mocked.

"I thought you were leaving?" Punk asked walking to the door with his jacket on. "Ugh." he groaned seeing John. "You're like a fucking roach that won't die. I really don't have time for you."

"Go on to work." AJ said to him.

"Fine." Punk said and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye." She smiled and watched as Punk glared at John as he passed him.

"Can I come in?" he asked her.

"I really am leaving for work myself." AJ told him.

"I'm sorry I blindsided you with all of this." John said walking inside her place anyway. "But I don't want you to think this book is going to be a gruesome get rich quick thing ever. I'm not going to drag yours or your mom's name through the mud." He promised her. "You guys had a remarkable relationship and I want to talk about that in the book but I need your help for that. This book is getting written with or without you but with you I really think we could do your mom justice."

"I have to think about it." AJ whispered folding her arms. "I just don't know."

"You have some time to think it over." John assured her. "I didn't mean to blind side you April."

"I know." She said to him. "I really just don't know what you're intentions are."

"Well maybe if you didn't run off every time I tried to talk to you you would see that my intentions are pure." He said taking a step towards her. "I'm not his monster that Brooks painted me out to be."

"He doesn't think you're a monster." She insisted.

"Oh really?" he asked with a laugh.

"He just doesn't like you." She told him honestly.

"Let's get together one night and I'll talk to you about the book and the Miller case and why I purchased your home." He suggested. "Dinner on me." he offered.

"Dinner on you sounds like a date." She said to him.

"Not a date." he assured her. "But I would prefer you leave Punk at home. He makes it very difficult to talk to you."

"He's just protecting me." she said to him.

"Yea I get that. But so am I." John pointed out. "So dinner?"

"Tonight after I get off work we can have a late lunch." she said to him. "Phil is out of town working for the day so you won't have to worry about him but I want to be home by the time he gets home."  
"Understood. Where are you working?" he asked her.

"Heath's." She told him.

"Great I'll pick you up." John smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek but got an inch or so of the corner of her mouth and Charger began barking at him and he jumped back.

"4pm." she told him.

"I'll see you then." John smiled then left.


	19. Cold Road Ahead

**Cold Road Ahead**

* * *

Punk spent an hour talking to Jake's doctors and although Jake was still bedridden he was awake and getting stronger everyday. He spoke with the hospital security about the high flight risk factor where Jake was concerned and made sure anyone who would have contact with him knew how dangerous he was. Something that really bothered him was the fact that John had been there at least three times a week and was responsible for flying out the best doctors and seeing to it that Jake made a fully and speedy recovery. Obviously letting the man die wasn't an option but going above and beyond? That bothered Punk.

He was now over an hour from home and was ready to get back to the station. When Punk began his drive home the snow really started to come down and the roads were icy. He was so focused on the road ahead of him and not so much behind him but had he looked, he would have seen the black SUV. He only knew the car was behind him when he felt a car bump into his and before he could even react the SUV bumped him again until he drove wrote off of the road and into the wooded area hitting right into a tree.

Punk's face rested against the airbag and he couldn't open his eyes but he definitely heard someone approach his car door. The door opened and Punk was now ready to die, he was going to be shot dead but instead someone placed two fingers to his neck to feel for a pulse then walked away. Punk heard the car start and drive off.

Punk opened his eyes slowly and everything was blurry to him. The roads were so snowy no that not a lot of cars were on it and would know he drove off the road. Even the tire marks would be covered by the snow shortly. He looked to his right which was all the strength he had to look for his cellphone and saw it under the passenger car seat. Punk reached his arm out trying not to move his neck that was in pain but it was no use since he passed out a moment later.

* * *

John had picked up AJ up from work and took her back to his home. AJ was happy to be back in the place she lived in her whole life and it was all still very empty minus a couch and a small TV in the living room.

"You didn't move anything in." She noted as he helped her out of her jacket.

"It's only been a day." John laughed. "Come inside, please." he gestured into the living room and she sat on the couch. "First of all I'm very sorry for reading your book."

"It's ok." She told him.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it." he said to her.

"I do mean it. As long as you meant that you really liked it." She smiled.

"I did like it." John smiled. "The big rumor in town was that you were writing a book about your mothers murder."

"Why would I want that?" she asked him. "Why would I want to relive it?"

"I know it's going to be tough but I really want to do right by you." John insisted.

"Why do you want to do this?" She asked him. "I know FBI agents like to write about famous cases but why this one?"

"Jake Miller was the most polarizing figures this town has ever seen and your story of survival isn't just interesting it's heroic and I think people should know about it." he said to her.

"I'm still not too sure how I feel about this entire thing." She admitted.

"I'm writing the book regardless but having your blessing and help would mean the world to me." John said to her.

"I can't just promise you." she said to him. "Why did you buy this house?"

"Because your father told me he was selling it regardless. I thought you'd appreciate it ending up with a friend." he said to her.

"Is that what we are now? Friends?" she asked.

"I'd like to think so." he said to her with a smile. "I really enjoyed spending time with you even given the circumstances."

"I wasn't very nice to you." She reminded him with a laugh.

"I kind of liked that." He laughed. "You challenged me."

"I get that a lot." she giggled.

"You were the best looking witness I ever protected." he smirked pushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Thanks so what's for lunch?" She asked feeling weird with him being so close to her.

"Don't you feel it?" he asked her.

"Feel what?" she asked slowly. "What I-"

AJ was cut off when John pressed his lips gently against hers and AJ's eyes widened in shock. After a few seconds the shock wore off and she pulled her face away from him.

"John if I-" she started but when her lips parted to speak his latched onto hers again this time sliding his tongue into her mouth and then pressed her down against the couch as he kissed her. Every time she pulled away to protest he just kissed her again and again.

"Stop." She said against his mouth but he cupped her face and continued to kiss her. He wasn't being rough and he didn't scare her she just wanted him to stop, the kiss wasn't even that terrible but she was in a relationship and this was very wrong.

Her hands moved to his chest and she tried to push him off of her but he was so built he didn't even feel it and arched up to use more strength to push him but he took that wrong way and crashed his own lower half against her and began rubbing against her.

"John!" she yelled out pulling away and he kissed her neck now. "Stop John!" She screamed and lifted her knee and kicked him as hard in the balls as she could causing him to collapse on top of her.

"Fucking shit." John hissed rolling off of her and onto the floor holding his burning crotch. "Holy fuck!"

"I'm sorry." she said jumping off of the couch. "I didn't want to hurt you-"

"Ice." He hissed out.

"Oh right!" she said quickly and ran into the kitchen freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen carrots and passed it to him.

"I thought the feeling was mutual April." He said slowly moving up to the couch.

"Why would you think that?" AJ asked annoyed. "I need to get out of here."

"April wait!" John yelled as she swung the door open and there was Shawn about to knock.

"Shawn." She said relieved.

"You ok kid?" he asked concerned walking inside.

"I was just leaving." she said trying to pass him.

"I came here looking for you." Shawn said stopping her.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked.

"Heath said Agent Cena picked you up." Shawn said and peered into the living room and saw John icing himself. "What did you do?"

"What's wrong Shawn?" she asked getting his attention back on her.

"Phil was in an accident." He said to her.

"Is he ok?" she asked horrified. "How bad? Where?"

"He's ok." Shawn said to her. "He has a concussion and some cuts but his car took most of the damage I was going to pick him up and thought you'd want to ride along."

"Of course." She said hurrying out the door.

"Is he really ok?" John asked looking over to Shawn who walked over to him and smirked.

"Unfortunately for you yes." Shawn said to him.

"I don't want the poor guy getting hurt." John said to him.

"You're going to be hurting a lot worse when he finds out you took his girlfriend to your place and clearly got a little 'fresh' with her." Shawn noted. "Also he knows about all that extra attention you've been giving Jake Miller."

"He went to the hospital?" John asked him.

"He did and called me before the accident. What's your gain in all of this? Why are you flying out doctors to treat him?" Shawn asked him.

"Maybe I want the man to get better so he suffer properly in prison?" John remarked sarcastically.

"Don't believe that but don't worry I'll get to the bottom of it." Shawn said in a friendly voice. "Feel better." he said pointing to the iced carrots.

* * *

Shawn and AJ walked into the hospital and Punk was sitting on a stretcher in the ER very annoyed.

"When am I getting my release papers?" he asked a nurse who passed him. "Hey when am I getting out of here?" he asked another nurse who passed and he also ignored him.

"Phil." he heard and saw AJ walking to him. She threw her arms around him and he hugged her back then saw Shawn standing behind her.

"Are you alright?" she asked pulling away. "Your eye." she frowned seeing the cut above it.

"It's ok I didn't even need stitches. I just whacked my head pretty hard." Punk said to her. "You guys didn't have to come down here."

"This is what partners do." Shawn reminded him. "What the hell happened?"

"Ape can you do me a favor and go to the desk and ask how long this is going to take? They told me I just had signed out but I've been waiting for an hour now." Punk said to her

"Sure thing." She smiled and kissed his cheek first before walking away.

"It was a dark SUV." Punk told him. "I've seen in it town a few times it pushed my car off the road."

"There's a lot of dark SUV's in his Jersey are you sure it was the same one?" Shawn asked.

"Yea I am and the driver got out to check my pulse before taking off." Punk said to him. "I think it was an old friend from Chicago."

"Hmm." he mumbled. "The call about your accident came from a pre-paid phone and they didn't give a name maybe it was them. Why run you off and not kill you?"

"No idea but I'm going to find out." Punk said to him. "If it wasn't them then it has to do with this Jake Miller case and in that case I have to see Cena."

"I saw Cena." Shawn told him. "He seemed surprised that you were in an accident."

"You stopped in to Cena before coming to get me?" Punk scoffed.

"That's where April was, at his place." Shawn whispered looking behind to make sure AJ wasn't near.

"Why was she there?" Punk asked.

"I don't know but something fishy went on." Shawn whispered again and Punk's face fell as his eyes widened.

"What the fuck do you mean by ' _fishy_ '?" he hissed.

"Relax." Shawn said to him. "I don't know exactly what happened but when I got to his place he was sitting on the couch icing his balls I assume from a strong kick to them and she was rushing out."

"He put his hands on her?" Punk asked in a low dangerous voice.

"I don't know she didn't say she was more worried about getting to you." Shawn said to him.

"They said ten minutes." AJ said walking over.

"What happened with John?" Punk asked her and AJ looked at Shawn.

"Can we talk about that later?" AJ asked him. "You're in the hospital-"

"Now AJ." he demanded.

"He asked me to lunch so we could discuss the book and he picked me up from work and took me to his place." She told him.

"Why was he hurt?" Shawn asked her.

"You too?" She asked annoyed.

"Answer him AJ." Punk insisted.

"I don't know if I gave John the wrong idea but he started kissing me and he was on top of me on the couch and every time I tried to tell him to stop he just would start kissing me again so I kicked him." AJ said to them.

"He's writing a book?" Shawn asked.

"He kissed you?" Punk asked at the same time as Shawn.

"He's writing a book about the Jake Miller case." AJ told him.

"Can we get back to him being on top of you?" Punk asked annoyed.

"It was harmless and he got the hint." AJ said to him.

"Harmless?" Punk mocked.

"Did he say anything else about Jake Miller?" Shawn asked her.

"I feel like I'm on the witness stand." She said quickly. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No we're done talking about it." Punk said to her. "I'll talk to him myself."

"No you're going right home and to bed." She argued in an angry tone.

"I'm not a child AJ I'm going to stop and see Cena first and if he's feeling frisky he can throw his lips at my fucking fist!" he yelled.

"No Phillip." she said placing her hands on her hips. "You're going home, I'm going to tuck you into bed, I'm going to make you soup and you're not moving a muscle until your concussion is at least gone! There will be no working, no phone calls about cases, no phones at all actually! No walking Charger, no driving around- you will be in bed and you will stay there until the doctor says its ok! And I will call my doctor and he will come to the house and check you over himself because I don't trust strange doctors."

"Wow." Shawn said feeling nervous himself.

"Fine." Punk spat childishly looking down. "But I will be seeing him." he mumbled.

"What was that?" She snapped in an almost motherly voice.

"Nothing." he said annoyed.

"That's what I thought." she remarked folding her arms and Shawn was trying not to laugh.

* * *

Punk was laying in bed and AJ's elderly doctor came to check on him and told her the same thing the hospital told her, minor concussion and just some cuts and bruises but he'd be fine. He'd be feeling a little sore so should took it easy for the next couple of days.

"I didn't even know doctors still made house calls." Punk noted trying to get comfortable in the bed. "I can't wait for this new fucking bed to get here."

"Here." She said walking in carrying a tray.

"Soup." He said happily sitting up and rubbing his hands together then looked at it. "What kind of soup is that?" he asked disgusted. "That doesn't look like chicken noddle."

"That's because it's not. My mom used to feed me this when I wasn't feeling well and it worked every time." she said sitting on the edge of the low bed.

"Ginger ale?" he asked noticing the drink.

"It's good for you." She said to him. "I'll clean your cut again later." she said running her thumb over the bandage on his eye.

"It's clean." he said just looking at the soup.

"Have I ever cooked anything you didn't like?" AJ asked him.

"No." he admitted.

AJ picked up the spoon and lightly blew on it to make it cool and lifted it to his lips.

"Open." she instructed.

"No-" He started but she shoved the spoon into his mouth and even though it smelt bed he was delighted by the taste. "That's not bad." He said seriously. "What's in it?"

"You don't want to know." She said honestly and dipped the spoon back in the soup and fed him again.

"This I can get used to." He said happily.

"You're hurt so this is my way of helping." She said as she continued to feed him.

"Did John hurt you?" Punk asked her in-between the soup feeding.

"Nope but I hurt him." She said to him. "It's best you leave it alone."

"I had questions for him regarding Jake as it is so I will be seeing him soon." Punk warned her.

"Aren't you going to ask me about my first day at work?" she asked trying to get off the John subject.

"Oh yea how was that?" he asked her.

"It was wonderful." She told him proudly. "I learned how to use the register and all of the customers were so nice and patient with me."

"Were the customers men?" Punk asked her.

"Yea." She shrugged slipping the spoon into his mouth again. "I already called and said I needed a few days and Heath understood."

"Don't miss work because of me." Punk insisted "I'm fine."

"Nope. I'll be here taking care of you." she said simply. "It's only a few days anyway." She said to him. "Once you're done with your soup I'll make you a bath."

"I don't do baths." he smirked. "I can take a shower."

"Or you can let me bath you." She shrugged.

"Bath me?" he asked. "As in you'll rub me down and clean?"

"Yup." She said to him. "As soon as you're-" she stopped talking when Punk picked up the bowl and began to drink the hot soup from the bowl. "You're going to burn your throat!" she laughed but he just finished off the soup.

"Amazing soup." he said to her. "I'm ready to bathed." he announced.

"Ok just wait here." she laughed getting off the bed.

* * *

The tub wasn't big but Punk would only get in if AJ at least climbed in with him. He rested his back against her chest and closed his eyes in relaxation as she ran a loofa over his chest, arms and anywhere else she could reach him. It wasn't sexual but it was intimate and he never felt so good before.

"You know if this is the treatment I get every time I get hurt..." he warned.

"Don't you dare." She said pinching his shoulder.

"I am a cop." He pointed out. "I might trip down some steps next week on a chase or something."

"Then I'll be home waiting for you to do this all over again." She informed him kissing the side of his head and he smiled.

"No one has taken this good care of me...well ever." He admitted grabbing her hand and kissing it gently.

"That's a shame." AJ frowned. "Not even your step mother?"

"She tried I just wouldn't let her." He said to her. "You didn't really give me a choice. I like that about you."

"It's a gift." she giggled.

"My parents, my birth parents that is were killed when I was a teen." he confided.

"I'm sorry." she frowned.

"My mom was killed in a mugging waiting for the train one night and my dad lost it after he lost her. He lived for my mother." he told her. "He put a pistol in his mouth and took his own life."

"Phil." She gasped. "I had no idea."

"No one really knows." he said to her. "It was just me and my older sister. I was thirteen when they died and she was eighteen and she took care of me, she tried to at least."

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"She fell into a bad crowd she was rich girl who didn't have to work a day in her life and I begged her to get help. It got so bad that my best friends mother took me in- my adoptive mother." he told her. "I went years without talking to my sister or touching the money that my parents left us. When I became a cop I found she was involved with Shane McMahon who was this crime boss in Chicago."

"I've heard of him." She admitted.

"She ran through her end of my parents money which was a lot on drugs, booze and partying. She ended up working as an escort for high rolling clients of McMahon's. I made it my mission to shut him down." he told her. "I was obsessed. I reached out to my sister and I know I got through to her because was willing to give me the information I needed to arrest him on the condition that she didn't do anytime and was offered help and rehab."

"Then she was killed?" AJ asked already knowing.

"A car accident where she slid off the road on an icy night." He said bitterly. "The bruises on her body weren't done by a car accident." he said disgusted. "I had to ID her at the morgue and could barely recognize her except for a tattoo she had on her finger."

"How could they get away with that?" AJ asked him.

"The entire City was owned by McMahon." Punk said to her. "That night I drove right to McMahon's restaurant and I shot him."

"It wasn't self defense like you claimed?" she asked him.

"No." he told her honestly. "He didn't reach for a gun, there was no one else in the room with us. When he hit the floor I pulled his gun out of his jacket and put it in his hands and staged the scene. No one knows that."

"Why are you telling me this Phil?" she asked him.

"Because it's coming back to haunt me." he told her. "And if you want to walk out and leave-"

"Walk out and leave?" She asked him. "Not a chance. If it were my sister I would have done the same exact thing. You're a good man Phil."

"A good man doesn't kill innocent people." Punk noted.

"Was he really innocent?" She asked him.

"I suppose not." He whispered thinking back to that night.

"You went on trial for this in Chicago and they deemed it self defense and you got your badge back so how can this come back to haunt you?" she asked him.

"Because I was run off the road tonight AJ." He told her and he could feel her body tense. "A car has been watching me."

"Why did it take them so long to come after you?" she asked him.

"Because Levesque, Shane's brother-in-law took over the business and the greedy bastard was thrilled about it. Word was he was going to take Shane out himself. He was relieved and showed the City what a great person he was by not retaliating against me." Punk remembered. "But now I pissed them off with diming on Orton and hiding Colt."

"Did you tell Shawn?" AJ asked him.

"He knows the story- not the full one I don't want to put him in a bad position with his badge." Punk said to her.

"But it doesn't matter what he says because you can't be convicted or face trial again." she pointed out the double jeopardy.

"It's just a bad position to be in." Punk said to her. "I feel bad telling you but another part of me felt bad not telling you." he admitted. "You should know what kind of man you're sleeping next to every night."

"I think you're amazing." She said surprising him. "You'd do anything to protect your family, your a man of passion and-"

"Stop defending it." he said sitting up and turning his head to look at her. "You should be running out of here."

"But I'm not." She said simply. "Phil I'm not your typical girl. I've seen good people die in front of me, my mother, Agent Bryan- I know the difference between bad and good and you are good." she said to him.

"He didn't pull out his gun." Punk pointed out.

"He would have." she said to him. "And even though he's dead he's still haunting you."

"AJ-" he started and she covered his mouth with her own.

"Thank you for telling me and your secret is safe with me." She said to him. "I understand now why you never talked about it before with me."

"I didn't want to burden you." He said to her. "But something is happening and you have a right to know and I want you to know that I do trust you and appreciate you."

"Sharing with me tonight means more to me then you'll ever know." she smiled and kissed him again. "You have nothing to be ashamed about."

"I also told you just so you know that there is no limit I won't reach to protect you." he said to her seriously. "So next time John throws you onto his couch and tries to fuck you-"

"Stop." She laughed cupping his face but when he spoke next her entire body froze.

"I love you." He said to her and she seemed completely surprised. "I wanted you to know that."

"I kind of figured you did." She teased. "I love you too." she whispered and kissed him again and this time it was a little deeper.

* * *

Punk was on top of AJ in their bed and she protested at first since he was still sore but he wasn't hearing it. He told her he loved her and now he planned on showing her. There was no foreplay involved and he was inside of her the minute they were in the bed. He was slow, tender and gentle as his fingers laced between hers and he held her arms over her head as he pushed into her welcoming body.

Low gasps from both were the only noises in the room that night as he made love to her to repeatedly. She was on cloud nine as he touched her in all the right places and pushed her to limits she didn't even know existed. More importantly she felt loved. She hadn't felt that way in such a long time and she knew he hadn't either. She made sure to roll him onto his back and take over for a brief part of the night just so he knew how much she loved him as well. The thing sheet was the only thing covering their lower halves.

When he fell asleep over an hour into their love session she watched him sleep next to her and decided she was going to stand by him through everything he faced. She already faced the worst and few men in cheap suits weren't going to scare her away from the best thing that had ever happened to her in her life. She planned on being with this man she had only known for a few months for the rest of her life. She also knew that he would do anything for her and he was clearly capable of it. He may have said he'd take John out but she laughed it off because knew that he didn't have that in him. Shane McMahon was a monster who turned his sister into a hooker and then murdered her, his only living relative. Shane McMahon deserved to die and if it wasn't at Punk's hands it would have been at Paul Leveque's hand.

The next day Punk tried multiple times to get out of bed but AJ wasn't having any of it. Especially after he _'tricked'_ her into having sex (her words of course). She even took Punk's cellphone away from him and he was forced to just watch movies in bed as Charger spent most of the day sleeping next to him on AJ's side of the bed.

"You should look away." Punk said to Charger as he was watching 'I am Legend' with Will Smith and he didn't want Charger to see 'that scene' with his dog. "Now I'm talking to a dog." He groaned. "Babe!" he yelled out and she came running in.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I can't sit here anymore." he argued. "I'm going fucking crazy."

"Just this last night." she said in a soft voice and he rolled his eyes. "Please?" she pleaded sitting on the bed. "It would mean a lot to me if you just rested this one last night." her bottom lip was stuck out and she was batting her eyes.

"Oh fuck." he said annoyed with himself. "Fine." He forced out bitterly and she kissed his lips quickly.

"I'm making you your favorite dinner." She told him standing up and then someone knocked on the door.

"Stay in here." He said starting to get out of the bed.

"No one coming here to kill you is knocking on the door first." AJ said pushing him back down. "I'm sure it's just Shawn he said he was stopping by."

AJ walked to the door and saw John. Her eyes widened and she pushed John further outside and closed the door behind her.

"Are you crazy?" She asked him.

"I came to check in on Detective Brooks and apologize to you." he said to her.

"Phil is doing well but he has to rest and I accept your apology, bye bye now." She said quickly walking back inside.

"April please." He said sticking his foot in the door. "I owe him an explanation for what I did yesterday."

"Trust me now isn't it the time." She whispered. "And he really needs to rest and if he sees you he'll be the furthest thing from relaxed."

"AJ!" he yelled from the bedroom and she looked back briefly then towards John.

"If he gets up and gets all agitated from seeing you I'll kick you in the balls again." She threatened.

"Fine. I'll come back in a few days." he said to her walking away. "And again I really am sorry."

"It's fine just go please." She pleaded.

"Are you afraid of him or something?" John asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"No John I'm afraid for you." she told him honestly. "He's really not pleased with you kissing me, can you believe that?" she mocked. "Also I'm scared for his head since he had concussion."

"Alright." John said. "I'll see you soon AJ."

AJ closed the door and as soon as she turned around Punk was standing behind her.

"Who was that?" he asked her.

"Pizza sent to the wrong address." She laughed it off and walked back into the kitchen but he opened the door and stuck his head out.

"Is that Cena?" he asked her as he watched the elevator doors close on him. "Hey!" he shouted about to walk out the door but she grabbed his arm.

"Bed." She said dragging him back inside.

"But-" he started.

"Bed!" She yelled and he snatched his arm for her and huffed as he walked back into the bedroom.

* * *

An hour later he ate dinner in bed and started another movie but now he was getting restless. As soon as he heard the door open and Charger run in he knew she was back from taking him for his walk.

"Babe!" he whined and she walked into the dark bedroom.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Can I have another bath?" he asked her.

"No." She said glaring at him.

"Can you stay in here with me?" he asked rubbing her side of her bed. "I'm bored."

"You have a movie on." she pointed out.

"Watch with me." he pouted and it was the most pitiful thing she had ever seen. "And maybe rub my temple for me?"

"Now that I can." She said kicking off her shoes and getting into bed with him.

AJ sat up and Punk moved so he was in-between her legs but with his back to her and his head resting against her chest and she began to massage his temple for him as the movie started.

"That feels really good." he admitted.

"Good." She said to him and kissed the top of his head.

"When am I off bed rest?" he asked her with a sigh.

"Tomorrow." She said to him.

"Great." he said to her. "I can get back to work."

"Not tomorrow you can't the doctor won't clear you until the end of the week but I need you to promise me you'll be careful when you do go back to work." She said to him. "I'm really worried about this McMahon Chicago connection coming back for you."

"I faced them before and walked out." he reminded her.

"Yea but you had to pick up and leave town." she pointed out.

"You think I'd pick up and leave town without you?" He teased.

"I don't know." she shrugged. "How do I know you didn't have a woman at home in Chicago with you like I am?"

"Trust me I've never met a woman like you let alone been a relationship with a woman that I loved." he said to her and she smiled. "I wouldn't just pick up and leave you. I'm in too deep and I like it here."

"Do you really?" she asked him.

"Yea it's nice that everyone knows your name and it's quiet but I got used to it." he admitted. "They can't force me out of here."

"What if it's not them?" AJ asked him. "Did you ever consider that? Is there any other case you're working?"

"No I just worked your case." Punk said to her thinking about it. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" she asked him.

"It's crazy." Punk laughed.

"I like crazy." She grinned.

"That should scare me but oddly enough it arouses me." he said bluntly causing her to burst into laughter. "John."

"John was with me when your car skidded off the run." She told him.

"Don't remind me." He said tensing up. "But he's all over this Jake at the hospital, he kicked you out of your home, he went through your stuff- maybe he's trying to off me to get to you."

"That is crazy." She said to him. "Besides if he wanted to kill you he wouldn't run you off the road he'd probably just shoot you. He's capable."

"Yea that's true." he said giving it thought.

"Besides I don't think he'd kill for me." she laughed. "I think he's just lonely."

"Any man that gets to know you would do anything for you." He said to her.

"Not any man." she reminded him. "My father, Nick, they couldn't run away fast enough."

"Any man with half of a brain I should say." he corrected. "But I do promise to be careful as long as you do that same."

"I will." She said to him. "Like I told you before I've faced a serial killer numerous times. Not much else could scare me."

"I'm not asking you to no be scared. I'm asking you to walk away and not be brave." he said to her.

"I promise." She said without hesitation. "Oh and since you'll be back on your feet tomorrow can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." he said keeping his eyes on the TV as she massaged his head.

"Can you swing by the dress shop for me?" she asked him. "I ordered a dress for Saturday and I got the call it's ready today but I promised I'd work a double tomorrow since I missed today."

"Yea ok." he said to her.

"Thank you." she said happily. "I'll leave the money on the counter for it."

"Don't insult me AJ." he said concentrating on the movie. "What's Saturday anyway?"

"Shawn's party." she scolded.

"Oh fuck I forgot." he said to her.

"You're still going right?" she asked.

"Of course I am." he said to her.

"Do you have a suit?" she asked him.

"I sure do." he said to her.

"Good." she said.

"In Chicago." he added.

"Oh Phil." she sighed. "You need to get a suit before Saturday."

"Why?" he whined.

"It's fancy and you're not going to Chicago for the suit." she said to him.

"Trust me it would be cheaper for me to just buy a suit." he said to her.

"Tomorrow when you pick up my dress they have suits and I'm sure they'll have one your size." she said to him. "Don't forget."

"I won't." he said. "Do you really have to work late tomorrow?"

"Yes I do." She said to him.

"You know if you didn't want to work you don't have to." he offered.

"I want and need to work but thank you anyway." she said to him.

"But I wanted to spend the night with you." he complained.

"The shop closes at 8." She laughed.

"That's right I forgot I lived in Pleasentville." he teased. "I'll pick you up too."

"Only if the bed gets here before I get out." she said to him. "That's coming tomorrow too."

"Oh right." he said remembering it.

"And no lifting this bed you just have the delivery men do all the work." she said to him.

"Anything else dear?" he teased.

"If you wanted to take the chicken out of the freezer so it will be ready for me to cook tomorrow when I get home I'd appreciate it." She smiled looking down at him and he looked up.

"I'll cook dinner tomorrow." he said without a thought.

"Can you cook?" she asked him.

"Yea of course I can." he scoffed. "Get the dress, get a suit, walk Charger, feed Charger, wait for the bed, cook dinner and pick you up at 7. I can handle all of that."

"It sounds like too much. I'll pick up my dress and a suit for you." She said to him.

"If I don't get out of the house tomorrow I will go insane." he warned her. "I'll get the dress."

"If you insist." she said and leaned down and gave him an upside down kiss. "I love you." She grinned.

"You're alright." he responded and looked back at the movie.

"Phil!" she laughed and he sat up and gave her a deep kiss.

"Love you too." He smirked.


	20. Four Weeks

**Four Weeks**

* * *

Punk ran all of the errands and normally all of this would annoy him and he'd put it off until the last minute but he didn't mind running errands for AJ at all. He went to the dress shop and picked up the dress she had ordered and he couldn't help but take a peek at it. It was a thin strapped white cocktail dress that was studded in the breast area and layered silk at the bottom. It was also short, so short that Punk knew it would stop way before her knee. He was now anxious to see her in this dress. He picked up a suit for himself as well then went back home and waited for the bed to arrive which it did and he quickly put the new sheets and comforter on it. He was tempted to jump into it and just sleep the rest of the day but he had more to do.

Punk couldn't cook and he had no idea why he told AJ he could. He ordered food from the diner and made Vickie swear to secrecy that he had picked up food tonight and quickly dumped the pasta and salad into bowls. He looked at his watch and saw he had half an hour before AJ got off and grabbed Charger to walk and pick her up. She only worked around the corner so driving wasn't necessary. He waited outside and when the lights went out he saw her step outside and lock up the shop.

"Hey." She smiled placing her keys in her purse.

Punk stood up and waited for his kiss with open arms but she stopped short and dropped to her knees and kissed Charger hello and petted him.

"I've missed you Charge." she said scratching behind his ear.

"I'm here too." Punk reminded her.

"I know honey." she gave him a tired smile and greeted him with a proper kiss as Charger barked.

"Shush you had your time." Punk scolded the dog. "Long day?"

"I'm just not used to being my feet on this long." she admitted. "My feet hurt so bad I might just cut them off to end the pain."

"I think that would hurt more." He smirked as they walked back to their apartment.

"I mean is this normal?" She asked seriously and he laughed.

"Yes, like you said you're just not used to being on your feet for that long." He said to her. "Soak them in a hot bath you'll feel better and if you want I'll gladly carry you home."

"After your accident? No way." She said to him.

"I feel like a million bucks." he said proudly. "It must have been that mystery soup."

"Probably was." She said to him.

"I picked up your dress and my suit." he said to her.

"Oh thanks." she said to him. "Did you look at my dress? What did you think?"

"It's sexy as hell you'll wear it well." he smirked.

"I had the cutest pair of heels I was going to wear with them but I don't think I can pull them off without feet." she frowned.

"As soon as we get home put your feet up. I'll hand feed you if you'd like." he offered.

"I'm not cashing in on that yet." she smirked.

"I'll also bathe you." he offered.

"Oh Phil that's not happening either. I'm so tired I can barely stand and the only thing keeping me awake as I stand is the terrible pain in my feet." she said to him.

"So we're not breaking in the new bed I guess." He sighed. "That's ok I can wait."

"I'm sorry." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Don't be sorry. My working girl is tired." He teased as he opened the building door for her.

* * *

As soon as they stepped into the apartment AJ smelt the food and smiled to herself.

"That smells so good." She grinned.

"Go sit on the couch I'll make you a plate." he said ushering her to the couch where she collapsed.

Punk put some food on a plate for her and walked over to the couch with a glass of water as well.

"Thank you." She said taking the dish and he lifted her legs over his and began to untie her shoes for her. "So what else did you do today?"

"I made the bed." He said to her as he removed her other shoe now.

"You should have waited for me you can't be doing things like this." She said to him.

"I had come cuts and bruises nothing bad." he said to her. "Your feet probably hurt a hell of a lot of more then my body does." he then took her small right foot into his hand and began to massage it. "How's dinner?"

"So good." she said with a full mouth. "Vickie always did make the best pasta."

"Really?" he asked her annoyed.

"I've been eating there my entire life you didn't think you'd trick me did you?" she laughed. "I appreciate the effort though."

"Whatever." He muttered.

Charger shot up from his bowl of water and ran to the door and began scratching and barking on it which is something he never did unless they were sleeping in and really had to go outside.

"You just went for a walk." AJ said to the dog who kept scratching and barking.

"He hears something." Punk said moving her legs off of her and stood up. Punk reached for his gun that was on the counter and walked to the door. "Just wait there." he said to AJ and then opened the door with his gun pointed out but no one was there.

Charger ran out of the apartment and raced towards the closing elevator doors and began to claw and scratch there now.

"AJ!" he yelled out and she stuck her out the door. "Get Charger inside." he told her and opened the stairwell door and as fast as he could ran down the stairs to beat the elevator.

Punk was moving a little slower due to the accident and by the time he made it down the stairs the elevator was already empty and ran out the door. The only thing he saw was a dark SUV pulling out and speeding off. Punk ran into the street and tried to get a glimpse at the license plate but it was too dark and the car was too fast.

"Who was it?" AJ asked as Punk walked back inside.

"Dark SUV again." He said to her.

"This is getting to be a much." She said to him. "I wonder what they were doing outside our door."

"Maybe listening inside, trying to get in- I really don't know." he said to her.

"If it's the men from Chicago why don't they just kill you?" she asked you. "Why are they teasing you by listening at your door? And why did they check your pulse and call 911 when they drove you off the road? They don't want you dead."

"I really don't know." he said to her. "Maybe I'm completely off and it's not them."

"So who is it?" she asked him.

"I don't know AJ. You haven't seen an SUV right?" he asked her.

"No but I also haven't but looking for one." She said to him.

"Have you ever used a gun before?" he asked her.

"Oh no." She laughed shaking her head. "Guns terrify me."

"I have extra guns in the safe." he said to her. "You need to know how to use them."

"Why?" she asked horrified.

"What if someone comes here when I'm working late and you're all alone?" he asked her. "You need to know how to defend yourself."

"Can't I defend myself without a gun?" she asked him. "I really hate violence."

"I respect that and believe me I'm not a fan of people having guns who aren't licensed but I'm going to teach you how to use it just in case." he said to her and she followed him into the bedroom. "Do I tell you the safe combination?"

"No." she said standing behind him as he knelled down to the safe that was in the closet.

"43, 42, 95" he said as he put in the combination.

"I don't think I'll remember that, what do they mean?" she asked him.

"They're random numbers because people always know how to get into safe if use anything significant. Write it down and hide it." he said opening the safe. "There's two guns in here. This one is a revolver." He said standing up with hit. It's the easier one for you and it's already loaded." he said placing it into her hands.

"Phil I don't feel right about this." she said feeling uneasy.

"What if Jake Miller magically recuperates and shows up here? You're going to shoot him." He told her firmly. "All you have to do is take the safety off like this." He said holding his hands over hers "Aim and shoot."

"Phil I hate this." She said to him.

"I'll take you to a gun range and teach you properly." he said to her.

"I'm just not like this." She insisted.

"I know and I'm not trying to scare you I just want you to feel safe." He said to her.

"I really don't like guns." She said to him.

"I just want you to know where they are, how to get to them and how to use it." he said to her. "Here's a better example- what if someone walked in here and was about to shoot me?" he asked her.

"I'd shoot them with this gun." she said to him.

"See? You're more interested in protecting others then yourself but you have to know how to use this." he said to her.

"Alright." She sighed and passed him back the gun.

"There's also a few grand in cash in there." he told her. "If there's ever an emergency take it."

"Can we just go back to laying on the couch?" she asked him. "I want a peaceful night."

"Tell me you'll use the gun and cash if you have to." he insisted first.

"I'll do whatever I have to do keep you safe." she promised.

"What about yourself?" He asked her and she looked away. "April." he said in a warning voice.

"Fine." she forced out.

* * *

Later that night it was only ten and AJ was already sleeping in their brand new bed. It was so comfortable and she was so exhausted she had no trouble conking right out. Punk on the other hand was in bed with her but watching the TV with it muted and caption running under it so it wouldn't wake her. Charger was at the foot of the bed which annoyed Punk already but there was a lot of space and as long as he and AJ weren't in the middle of anything it was ok with him to have the big dog on the bed. Punk chuckled as he read the captions to the old sitcom he was watching but was alerted when Charger jumped out of the bed. Punk glared towards the door and pulled his gun at the drawer and walked slowly towards it as Charger sat in front of it. Now there was a knock at the door and Punk realized it wasn't the same person from earlier and peeked to see who it was.

"Agent John Cena." He said mockingly tucking his gun behind his pants. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Or are you here to mount AJ? Because if you are she's already sleeping."

"Early night for her." He noted not bothered at all but Punk's hostile attitude.

"Stop worrying about her." Punk snapped. "Stop trying to get into her fucking pants too."

"I made a mistake it was a simple case of miss communication." He assured Punk. "I already apologized to her and now I'm here to do the same to you."

"Apology not accepted get off my doorstep." Punk said to him and John just let out a small chuckle and turned to walk away. "Actually Captain America hold up." he said and John walked back to him. "Why are you so invested in Jake Miller's care?"

"I told Shawn about this already." John said to him.

"You paid for one of those fancy doctors out of your own pocket." Punk informed him and then smirked. "Didn't think I'd figure that one did I?"

"Like I said I think April deserves justice and she won't get that if he dies." John said to him.

"Nope." Punk said shaking his head. "You're up to something and you're trying to keep Jake Miller not only alive but help him get stronger. Why would you want a sicko like that regaining strength?"

"Because I don't believe bad men should just die." John spat.

"He killed your partner." Punk pointed out.

"Doesn't mean he deserves the same fate." John said to him. "You wouldn't get that."

"Oh I get it." Punk said to him. "Still makes no sense."

"I don't owe you explanation." John pointed out.

"Sure you do. You're working a case that I worked with you also it directly effects AJ who is my roommate and girlfriend." Punk told him leaning against the doorway.

"I'm being a good person." John said to him.

"You weren't so good and pure when you tossed AJ onto your couch. Some would consider that to be assault John boy." he pointed out.

"Some would also consider what happened to McMahon to be murder." John shrugged.

"Shane wasn't a 100lb woman." Punk pointed out and John smirked.

"I read her signals wrong." John said to him. "It was a mistake that she has already forgiven me for."

"Snooping and reading her book, saving the man that killed her mother and stalked her, buying her home and living in her old room- it's really fucking weird man." Punk chuckled. "Really fucking weird. And what is with this new book you're writing? Are you really trying to make money off of her misery? Is that why you're working so hard to save Miller? You want this to drag on so you have more to write about?"

"You're fucking crazy." John laughed. "Paranoid too. I'll answer one of your questions if you answer one of mine. Why did you come out here with your gun?"

"My trusty dog heard something outside the door before me and I thought someone was snooping." Punk shrugged.

"At 10pm?" John asked him.

"I won't answer two questions." Punk said to him.

"I'm not trying to make money off of her as a matter of fact I plan on donating all proceeds to a victims charity." John said to him.

"One step closer to saint hood." Punk said to him. "Well this has been fun. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon while I look more into Jake's medical records."

"I've got nothing to hide." John said to him.

"One more thing." Punk said grabbing his shoulder before he could walk away and punched him as hard as he could in the gut causing him to call to his knees on the floor. "You ever put your pale chapped disgusting lips on my girlfriend again I will beat you down so bad that you'll be sharing a room with that psycho you seem to get hard for all of the sudden, am I making myself clear?"

"I deserved that." He coughed slowly standing up. "And you get one free shot but if you do that again I'll shoot you." he said with half a smirk but knew he wasn't kidding. "Say hi to April for me." he then walked off towards the elevators.

Punk walked back into his bedroom and AJ's eyes began to open when he walked in.

"Where did you go?" she asked and he turned off the TV and got under the blankets with her.

"I was just checking the locks." he said turning onto his side and wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest.

"Goodnight." she whispered using his arm that was wrapped around her as an extra pillow and rested her head against.

"Goodnight baby." he said kissing her cheek then falling asleep next to her.

* * *

Saturday night arrived and Punk was bored out of his mind at this party. He didn't know a lot of people and AJ was a social butterfly and it seemed like almost everyone in town was invited to this lavish affair. The only good part of this evening was watching AJ float around in her short white dress.

"Do you want me to introduce you to people?" AJ asked walking over to the bar where Punk was leaning against sipping a club soda.

"No." he smirked. "I like watching you dance though." he said waggling his eyebrows.

"Yea? Want to join me?" She asked leaning into him and kissing his lips.

"I don't dance." he informed her.

"You look really good in your suit by the way." She said playing with the knot in his tie.

"Yea? I thought so as well." he teased.

"You're not having fun are you?" she asked.

"I'm having a grand time." he said taking a sip of his drink and tilted his head to look at her long legs. "So is the entire town here or what?"

"Most of the town. Shawn is very beloved." She informed him.

"Want something to drink?" he asked her.

"Water?" she asked and he turned to order her a glass of water to the bartender.

"I had no idea you were such a good dancer." he noted passing her a glass.

"I don't mean to brag but I did take dance classes when I was a kid and maybe a few more in high school." She remarked smugly.

"Well stop twirling so much in that dress before you give everyone a free show." he teased.

"I plan on giving you a show later." she whispered reaching up and nipping his lips.

"A free show?" he asked with a grin.

"Who said anything about it being free?" she asked teasingly as she sipped her water.

"Oh damn." he grinned.

"Oh give me a minute I just want to talk to Becky." she said to him.

"Go ahead I'm not going anywhere." he said to her and she skipped off over to her friend.

"Try not to have too much fun tonight." Shawn teased approaching the bar.

"This is me having fun." Punk smiled. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks, appreciate you coming." Shawn said to him as he ordered a club soda for himself.

"So where you really surprised?" Punk asked him.

"I'm a Detective very little surprises me anymore." Shawn laughed. "She's been planning this for months I couldn't spoil it for her."

"You're a good man." Punk smirked.

"You are too." Shawn said surprising him. "I've never seen April so happy before and I don't know you that well but you seem to have extra pep in your step as well."

"She's a great girl." Punk agreed peering across the room and watched her talk about something with Shawn's eldest daughter.

"So what's going on with Cena?" Shawn asked him.

"I don't want to talk about work at your party." Punk said to him.

"Well I do." He said to him. "You know if I can crack into Cena's financial records-"

"You're trying to hack into an FBI agents financial records?" Punk asked amused.

"Maybe. You judging me?" Shawn asked him.

"A little bit but in a good way." Punk said seriously.

"Something is not right with him. He's been at the station a few times going through the original Miller case files and I caught him at your desk trying to get on your computer." Shawn told him.

"What the hell is looking for on there?" Punk asked annoyed.

"No idea when I booted him from there he still couldn't log on. He couldn't figure out your password. He told me he just needed to use a computer and yours was the only free one." Shawn said to him.

"He's hiding something. He keeps coming around my place too." Punk noted. "At first I thought he was sniffing around AJ but now I'm not too sure."

"I think he's sniffing around April and you." Shawn said to him.

"When I get back to work Monday I'm dedicating all of my time to figuring out what the fuck he is up to." Punk said to him.

* * *

"AJ what are you talking about?" Becky asked her.

"Just keep smiling because Phil keeps looking over." AJ said with a plastered smile. Becky put on a smile and waved across the room to her father and Punk.  
"I went to my gynecologist yesterday to get my birth control shot and I'm supposed to go every 12 weeks and I have never missed a week but with the move and looking for the job I missed it by a few weeks."

"Oh my god." Becky said as her face dropped.

"Smile!" AJ hissed and Becky plastered on the smile again. "She wouldn't give me the shot until I took a pregnancy test to make sure I wasn't already pregnant."

"You're pregnant?" Becky asked with the same smile but this was more genuine.

"I am." She said and Becky gave her a big hug. "Please don't." she said pulling away from her. "Phil has no idea."

"You didn't tell him?" Becky asked pulling AJ further away and towards the corner of the room.

"No! I have no idea how to tell him!" she admitted. "He's never discussed children before, I've never thought about children before." she said to her.

"A baby is wonderful!" Becky cheered.

"Shhh." She whispered. "No one knows but you, me and my doctor- oh and Charger."

"You have to tell him AJ." Becky said to her.

"I know I just- we're so happy as it is." she admitted. "I don't want to screw things up and he has so much going on and I just started working-"

"You can still work." Becky insisted. "Stop thinking of this like a curse or a bad thing. A baby is a gift! How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks." AJ admitted.

"You really screwed up with your injections. How could you be so careless?" Becky asked her.

"I was a little busy being held in safe houses." AJ argued.

"He doesn't use protection?" Becky asked her.

"No." AJ said to her. "But only because I told him he didn't have to use protection because I was on birth control. He's going to be so mad."

"Well you have to tell him." Becky said to her seriously. "Whether he's going to be mad or not he has a right to know. What's the worst that could happen?"

"He could dump me and I could be stuck raising this baby alone." AJ frowned.

"Do you really think he would do that? I mean this is only the second time I've met him but he seems pretty into you." Becky smirked. "And he's never talked about children you said so how do you know he's so against it?"

"I'm just assuming." she shrugged.

"Stop assuming and tell the man!" Becky argued.

"I'm really scared." AJ admitted. "I don't think I can be a mom."

"You are one of the most nurturing and caring people I have ever met and your mother was the best teacher." Becky smiled at her.

"I'm a spoiled girl." AJ reminded her. "I only just got my first job, I can barely take care of myself-"

"You've been taking care of yourself and others since 2nd grade when I fell off of the swing and you cleaned and bandaged my cut." Becky laughed. "I get you're scared but talk to him."

"I don't even know his birthday." AJ admitted. "I live with him, I love him and I don't know when his birthday is. I don't know a lot about his family history, I don't know if-"

"Talk to him." Becky said placing both of her hands on her shoulders. "And in the mean time, be happy and smile."

* * *

After the party Punk and AJ were back at their place and as most of their nights ended they were already all over each other. Punk didn't bother to remove her dress from her body but ripped of her panties as she gripped the bottom board of their new bed and straight up fucked up her. His hands palmed her breasts as he didn't even bother to remove his suit either. He was rough and hard just the way AJ liked it most. She had come already and Punk was still going.

"You looked so hot tonight." he grunted as he pushed into her as hard as he could. "Do you even realize that?" he asked her but she was concentrating on her next orgasm that was about to hit her. "Wear this dress every night."

"I'll wear anything you want." she moaned and then gasped as he hit into her perfectly.

"My girl." he said proudly.

AJ even still had her silver sparkling heels as her legs were spread apart as she stood and tried not to fall from the powerful thrusts.

"Are you going to come again baby?" he asked her almost dangerously and she nodded. "I can't hear you..."

"Yes Phil!" She cried and he pulled out of her body.

She turned around and he lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his body as she kissed him sweetly. He walked around the bed and gently placed her down in the middle of the bed. He lifted her slightly to unzip the back of her dress and he pulled it off of her body but kept his clothes on since he couldn't wait.

"Can you keep these on?" he asked running his hand down her leg and touching her foot that still had the heels strapped around them.

"Yes." She whispered and he grinned as he lowered himself and pushed into her again.

Punk rolled so they were on their sides and his hands cupped her ass roughly as he teased her back entrance a little with his fingers and pushed into her from the front. AJ pulled away from the kiss to gasp but his lips still worked over her face and then neck as he used all of his strength to please her.

"Oh fuck." he groaned feeling her tighten around him and felt her juices run down him.

He gripped her ass just a little harder and pushed into her at rapid speed until he found his release which he did a few minutes later.

"Oh wow." she said as he pulled out of her but remained on his side so he could look into her eyes. AJ kicked off her shoes and pulled up the covers and went back on her side to look at him.

"Not a bad thing to hear." He teased. "Tired?"

"Not really." She said placing her hands under her face so she was comfortable on her side looking at him. "Do you really love me?"

"I do." he said to her.

"Do you think you could ever be so mad at me that you could hate me?" she asked him.

"I've never thought about it." He said eyeing her oddly.

"What if I made a mistake and it was a complete accident?" she asked him.

"It depends on the mistake." he laughed.

"A big one. Life altering." she said with wide worried eyes.

"What happened AJ?" he asked her.

"I made a mistake." She sighed.

"Yea I figured that out already." He said to her with half a smile.

"And I'm really scared." she admitted and he frowned.

"So tell me what you did so I can help you." He said to her. "You can tell me anything you know that."

"But you're going to be really mad." she said to him.

"Did you kill someone?" he asked her.

"No." She said to him.

"Did you cheat on me?" he asked.

"How could you even ask me that?" she asked annoyed.

"Well I can't possibly think of what you could have done that would scare you and make me angry." he said to her.

"I'm so sorry." She sniffled.

"Why are you crying?" he asked concerned now and used his thumb to brush her tears away.

"You're going to hate me." she cried.

"That's not possible." he said to her.

"I'm going to ruin your life." She whispered looking into his eyes and now he was more confused then ever.

"I doubt that." He laughed.

"This is serious Phil." She said to him.

"So tell me already." he insisted and she pulled the covers up over her head.

"I'm having a baby." she said in a whisper but she knew he didn't hear her.

"AJ come on I didn't hear that." he said tugging the blanket down so her face was just showing.

"I'm having a baby." she said clearer and he just looked at her.

"You're having a baby?" he asked her and she nodded. "You're...you're pregnant?" and again she nodded. "With my baby?" he asked her and again she nodded. "We're having a baby?" and another head nod confirmed it.

"I missed my birth control shot." She said sitting up. "I just got so distracted with everything that was going on with Jake and moving-" she stopped talking when he rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "Phil I'm sorry." She said leaning over him and saw he was tearing up. "If you don't want to be involved I understand." she was now shaking and even though she expecting anger him crying about it didn't surprise her either, she just changed this man's life in a way he never wanted.

"What?" he asked turning his head to look at her. "Not be involved?"

"You clearly aren't happy." She said to him.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad." he said sitting up and used his arm to rub his eyes. "I'm happy."

"Really?" She asked him nervously.

"Why would I hate you for this?" he asked her with a smile. "We're having a baby!"

AJ felt the knot in her stomach she had since she found out yesterday disappear and now she was finally smiling over the news.

"I'm going to have a baby." he laughed and she threw her arms around him. "Hate you for this? Are you crazy?"

"You never mentioned kids." She said not wanting to let him go in case this was a dream reaction.

"No and I never thought about it much but it's happening and I'm pretty fucking excited." he said and she pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Stop checking my eyes to see if I'm lying." he laughed.

"Do you want to see the sonogram?" she asked him.

"Yea." he said and watched as she got out of the bed and walked over to her purse and reaching in for the picture.

"Here." She said crawling back next to him in bed. "That's the baby." She said pointing.  
"It's tiny." he said in awe of the small dot that was now the single most important thing in his entire life.

"Yea. I'm only a few weeks along." she said resting her head against his shoulder as he couldn't pry his eyes from the picture.

"Wow." he said after a few minutes.

"You're not freaking out at all?" she asked him.

"No because clearly you are." he smirked. "When you calm down I'll do the freaking out."

"I am." she admitted.

"We're going to get through this together." He promised her. "As a family."

"Are you sure you want to be my family?" She asked him.

"You really didn't leave me much of a choice." He teased seriously and she glared at him. "I'm kidding." He chuckled. "I'm going to have a baby, I can't believe it. I have to admit something, after my parents died and my sister took off I always imagined having my family. I just wanted that connection."

"And now you have it." She said with a warm smile.

"I do." he whispered as again a tear fell from his eye and landed on the sonogram picture. "Sorry." he said cleaning it off.

"Don't apologize." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "So you're really ok with this?"

"AJ this is without a doubt the best thing I have ever heard." He said to her finally looking at her. "I love you and we're going to do this."

"I love you too." She smiled kissing him again.

* * *

John Cena opened the back of the SUV doors and slid inside sitting right next to Detective Nash from Chicago.

"This is for you." Nash said passing him an envelope and John opened it and counted the cash.

"You need to stop showing up in town in this SUV." John warned him placing the envelope into his jacket pocket.

"I won't be back for a while. Mr. Levesque wants better updates." Nash warned him. "He doesn't care how many times he walks his dog or what time he picks up girlfriend up from work. He wants the good stuff."

"He's playing it clean since he got here." John said to him. "I'm not his biggest fan anyway."

"You told Mr. Levesque that the girlfriend would be dead. You're getting paid to do a job you haven't come close to accomplishing." Nash pointed out.

"Why can't you just kill Brooks?" John asked him.

"Because he wants Detective Brooks to feel the pain that Mr. McMahon's family felt. He wants to take it all away from him and the only thing he seems to be interested in is her. He doesn't give a shit about his family and friends back home anymore he's consumed by her, has been since he started working the case. You told me you'd let that psycho get her instead he targeted Brooks."

"I tried." John insisted. "I made sure he found her at the motel..."

" _My bosses want to know why AJ wasn't killed." John said to him._

" _Who the fuck cares?" Punk hissed. "Just be grateful."_

" _Be grateful that my partner died?" John asked him._

" _Are you really going to sit there and tell me you would have preferred it to be AJ? The person you and your partner were fucking tasked with protecting?" Punk asked stunned_

"...but she fought him off and when I tipped him off about the safe house but Brooks caught up to him too quickly."

"But you're the one who pulled the trigger." Nash noted.

" _That's not-" Punk started but a shot rang out and Punk turned his head to see John recklessly pull the trigger._

 _Charger ran over to the bodies on the ground before the three men could and began to lick AJ's face as Punk was next over her and tossed Jake's limp's body off of hers._

" _AJ?" he asked desperately and she slowly sat up. "Did you get hit?" he asked checking her over._

" _No I'm fine." She said to him and watched as he quickly removed his own jacket and wrapped it around her. "Phil get me out of here."_

" _I'm staying with him." John said to them._

" _You could have hit her." Punk hissed lifting AJ into his arms._

"I was aiming for her." John said to him.

"So you're plan again is to release this killer on her?" Nash asked. "Why are you dragging this out and making this difficult?"

"Brooks is onto you. His partner has been looking into you and Levesque. Stop showing up in town and let me handle this." John said to him. "If she's killed by a man who has been trying to kill her it won't lead back to you or me."

"So we wait for him to get back on his feet?" Nash asked. "I heard the guy is half dead."

"You heard wrong. Those doctors were told what to say to Brooks." John said to him. "Trust me I've got this."

"If she's not dead by the end of the month we're coming back to finish the job and if we have to do it you're going to owe us a lot more then a lot that money." Nash threatened.

"Just give me space and time." John said to him.

"Four more weeks." Nash said to him. "I won't call, I won't visit and you won't get a dime until we get the confirmation."

"I've got this." John assured him.

"You better." Nash warned him coldly.

"It would be easier if you'd just let me take him out. I could have a gang member take him out and no one would think twice about it because he's a cop." John insisted.

"He will be dead." Nash said simply. "There's more than one way to kill a man."

"Alright." John sighed. "I'll call you when it's done."

John then climbed out of the SUV and zipped up his jacket as snow began to cover the small town again. He had four weeks and he was going to finish the job.

* * *

 **A/N: Holy plot twist! Thanks for all your reviews :)**


	21. Failed Attempt

**Failed Attempt**

* * *

A week and a half and passed since Punk learned he was going to be a father and he couldn't stop smiling even if he tried. He had no idea he would be this excited to have a child but he truly was. He also knew with AJ having his child he was going to have to introduce her to his family in Chicago and it's not that he was ashamed of either one of them but he didn't want anything in Chicago to taint his new life in New Jersey but he had to bite the bullet and do this now. But before he could focus on the baby his attention was all on Agent John Cena who now hung out at the Police Station constantly. Punk hated it but preferred he'd be where could see him and not with AJ but Punk knew John was up to something. Not only was he writing his book but he was still working the Miller case but Punk knew John was keeping an eye on him as well.

John was always disappearing and taking mysterious phone calls, taking long lunches, coming back late- Punk was spending most of time trying to hack into Cena's e-mails and phone records while Shawn worked on his financial records but everything had come back clean so far. John also knew Punk and Shawn were watching him and mocked them when he waved at them or checked in when he was leaving for the night. He was pissing Punk off a lot and knew it.

"This is the first half." John said to a man as they met up at the same motel AJ was hiding in months ago. "You get the second half when you finish the job."

"You just want me to kill the broad?" the man asked. "Can't I do it at her place? Going into a shop at this time of day is risky."

"She has a huge pitbull." John said to him. "He'll get you before you get near her."

"Noted." The man said counting the money.

"Painless." John instructed him. "A quick shot to the head. I don't want her suffering."

"Yea, yea." The man said as he finished counting.

"This is the address of where she works and she's there until 8 so go in at around 7:30 and do it." John told him passing him a piece of paper. "Don't forget to grab the cash out of the register either we want it to look like a robbery gone wrong."

"I know how to do this." The man reminded him.

"This is her picture." He said handing him a small photo of AJ. "Don't shoot the wrong person."

"She's pretty." The man smirked.

"Don't get any ideas." John warned him. "Quick and painless. She's suffered enough."

"Whatever you say Agent." the man mocked.

"After I get the confirmation she's dead I'll meet you back here in the morning and give you the rest." John said to him.

"What about what we discussed?" the man asked and John reached behind him and pulled out a gun. "No trace, serial numbers have been scratched off- it's clean."

"Great." The man said taking the gun.

"Remember 7:30." John said to him.

* * *

John was back at the station and looking at the clock, 5pm, 6pm felt like they were each eight hours long. He was feeling sick to his stomach and kept glancing over to Punk across the room who had his back to him. He was starting to feel faint and kept reaching for his phone every time he got the urge to call this all off. It wasn't that he didn't like April or Punk for that matter- but Levesque owned him and this was what he had to do.

"Alright I'm checking out for the night." Punk said and John's head shot up.

"Big plans?" Shawn asked him.

"Nah I'm going to pick AJ up from work then take her to dinner." Punk said to him.

"Getting pretty serious huh?" Shawn teased.

"She's living with me- we're pretty serious." Punk laughed. Shawn didn't know AJ was pregnant yet either.

"Clearly." Shawn laughed. "Oh remind her that Cheryl is stopping by tomorrow night to bring over those books AJ wanted to read."

"I'll tell her." he said slipping on his jacket.

"Hey are you leaving?" John asked rushing over to him.

"What's it to you?" Punk scoffed.

"I didn't realize we had to run by when we punch out for the night to the Feds." Shawn laughed. "Do I check in when I use the can too?"

"I thought you both would want an update on Jake Miller." John said to them.

"I called the hospital earlier and they told me there was no change." Shawn said to him.

"You're not an FBI agent." John remarked smugly.

"Oh by all means." Punk mocked taking his jacket off and sitting back down. "Enlighten us."

"Let me just grab a cup of coffee." John said to them then walked off.

John poured himself a cup of coffee and let out a relieved breath. If Punk showed up before she closed not only would AJ not be killed, but Punk would probably apprehend his guy and get him to talk. John just needed to distract Punk for twenty more minutes...

* * *

AJ was cleaning up the counter after a slow day at work and at 7:30 flipped the open sign to closed so she could count her drawer and finish cleaning. AJ never considered locking the door. She was laying the money on the counter when she heard the bell on top of the door chime and without looking up spoke.

"We're closed sorry." she said but she never heard the bell again.

AJ looked up and there was a gun in her face.

"Oh my god." She said terrified.

"Shut up and put the cash in the bag." the man said throwing a bag at her.

"Please don't hurt me." She said frozen in place.

"Put the fucking money in the bag!" he hissed knocking things off the counter causing her to jump back.

AJ quickly collected the money and began to put it into the bag with her shaky hands.

"Hurry up!" he screamed causing her to cry out loud.

AJ passed him the bag but the man didn't move and pulled back the trigger of the gun.

"Please don't kill me!" She cried. "Please I'm pregnant!" she cried and the man was now surprised. "Please don't do this. Please don't kill me." she sobbed. "I'm having a baby don't kill us please."

"Get down on the floor." He instructed her. "Turn around and keep your head down!"

AJ was down on the floor facing the wall but looking down. She felt him walk behind the counter and was standing over her, she felt the barrel of the gun against her head and she cried more. After surviving Jake Miller she was going to die in a random robbery.

"Please don't do this." She whispered. "My boyfriend is a cop and he'll be here any minute." she cried. "Please don't do this I'm having a baby." she reminded him again.

"Forget what I looked like." the man hissed in her ear. "If I find out you talked to the police I will find you and blow your fucking head off."

"I won't say anything I swear!" she said crying with relief now.

The man grabbed her purse and pulled out her cell phone and put it in his pocket then opened her wallet and took out her ID and slipped it into his pocket.

"It'll be very easy to find you April Mendez." He said to her.

"I swear I won't say anything." she cried as her entire body shook from fear.

"Count to 100." he said to her.

AJ remained frozen slowly counting to 100 and even after she heard the bell chime she stayed behind the counter on the floor counting out of fear of him still being there or testing her...

* * *

"So you know nothing." Punk said annoyed as he and Shawn listened to John's update.

"This is exactly what the doctors told me this morning." Shawn said to him. "Except they didn't spend 45 minutes telling me."

"45 minutes I'm never going to go back." Punk said annoyed standing up again and putting on his jacket.

"I'm just trying to be open and on the same page as you guys." John defended.

"You're useless." Punk said annoyed. "Now I'm going to be late getting AJ." He mumbled.

"Hey doesn't your girlfriend work over at Heath's?" Officer Daniels asked walking over to Punk.  
"Yea." Punk said zipping up his jacket.

"We just got a call about an armed robbery there." Daniels told him and Punk's face dropped.

"Is she ok?" Punk asked him.

"The call was from someone on the street saying they saw a man fleeing with a bag and a gun jumping in an unmarked car and speeding off." the officer told him.

"I'm coming." Shawn said shooting out of his seat.

"Me too." John said following them out the door.

* * *

Punk walked into the shop that wasn't locked and saw glass on the floor and everything knocked off the counter.

"AJ?!" he yelled out.

Shawn followed behind Punk slowly as he looked around the small shop for any sign of AJ then heard the faint sound of counting from behind the register.

"...453...454..." she whispered to herself as she rocked back and forth.

"AJ." He said jumping over the counter.

"Phil." She cried.

"Are you ok?" he asked desperately.

"Is he gone?" She asked in a terrified whisper.

"Yea he's gone." He said to her. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No I don't think so." She said and he grabbed her hand that was still shaking like a leaf.

Shawn was standing behind John who walked right out of the shop in almost anger when AJ said she was ok. He wanted to follow him and get to the bottom of it but he had to be there for AJ first.

"Was he just after the cash?" Shawn asked as Punk helped her to her feet.

"He was going to kill me." She choked out. "I gave him the money but he was still going to shoot me!"

"Shh it's ok." Punk cooed pulling her against his chest.

"I told him I was pregnant and that my boyfriend was a cop and I think that spooked him." she sniffled burying her head against his chest.

"Pregnant?" Shawn asked stunned.

"Not now Shawn." Punk sighed.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" Shawn asked and she nodded against Punk's chest. "Are you going to tell us honey?" Shawn teased.

"I promised if he let me go I wouldn't tell anyone." AJ said looking at Shawn.

"Don't be silly you're safe now." Punk said to her.

"No Phil he took my ID he said he'd come back and kill me." She said firmly.

"April-" Shawn started but AJ felt her stomach rumble and placed her hand over her mouth. She pushed away from Punk and ran to the back of the store where the bathroom was located. "Jesus this girl can't catch a break."

"I think I'm going to take her to the hospital anyway." Punk said to him. "Have them look her over just in case."

"Is she really..." Shawn trailed off.

"Yea." Punk said with the faintest smile.

"Congratulations." He said giving him a quick hug. "Take her down to the hospital and I'll take care of everything here."

"Thanks." Punk said to him.

"Sorry." AJ said walking back over to them.

"It's ok. Grab your jacket." He said to her.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"The hospital." he told her.

"Phil nothing happened." She reminded him.

"You're very stressed out and that's not good for you know who." Shawn said pointing at her stomach. "Go to the hospital for it's sake."

"Ok." She said slowly. She was still pale a ghost and shaking slightly.

"Here." Punk said sliding her jacket on her.

"He took my ID." She told Punk again.

"Yea I know don't worry about that." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulders and helped her out of the shop.

"But he knows where we live Phil. I just got that ID and it has our address." She rambled on still in shock. "He might be there right now."

"No he's long gone." Punk said opening his car door for her.

"But he said-" she started.

"He's gone." Punk assured her getting her into the car.

John watched from a few feet away as Punk completely ignored him and gave all of us attention to AJ. He couldn't lie but he was mostly relieved the man didn't go through with killing her he just had to figure out why and get this guy as far out of town as possible.

* * *

At the hospital AJ was laying in a bed waiting for the doctor while Punk stood next to her.

"Do you feel weird at all?" he asked her.

"No." She told him honestly. "I'm calming down a lot."

"That's good because the doctor said your pressure was far too high." Punk said to her.

"I'm lucky I didn't have a heart attack." she said to him. "I expect that sort of thing from Jake Miller not random people who live in town."

"So you know who it was? You recognized him?" Punk asked.

"I told you I'm not discussing it." AJ said to him.

"AJ you have to at least give me something. A description or something!" he argued. "How am I supposed to do my job if you won't help me?"

"Just let him go." AJ said to him. "He said he'd blow my head off Phil and he meant it!" she yelled.

"Ah-ah." the doctor scolded lightly. "No yelling."

"Hi Doctor Shapiro." AJ greeted the older female doctor. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"I was already in the hospital delivering a baby." the doctor smiled.

"This is my boyfriend Detective Brooks." AJ introduced.

"I see him walking Charger every morning by the park." The doctor smiled shaking his hand. "How do you do?"

"I'll be doing great once you tell me everything is ok." Punk said to her.

"Any bleeding or cramping?" the doctor asked AJ.

"No just nauseous." she said to her.

"That's understandable your nerves are fried." the doctor said to her.

AJ was in her hospital gown and watched as the doctor placed something underneath with her as the screen popped on and he heard a noise in the room.

"What the hell is that?" Punk asked the doctor concerned.

"That's your baby's heartbeat." the doctor smiled. "And that is your baby." she said using her free hand to point at the screen.

"It's ok?" she asked looking at the screen.

"Strong heartbeat, your baby is growing and look- little fingers." she said and Punk practically pressed his face to the screen. "I'll print you a picture Detective." She laughed.

"Everything is good?" Punk asked her as AJ took his hand into hers.

"Yes. Strong baby. But your pressure was a little high obviously due to circumstances." the doctor said to her. "You're going to have to take it easy and lower that."

"I will." AJ promised.

"You're almost nine weeks now so the next time you come you'll be able to see the fingers and toes clearer." She said to them. "Everything looks good April." She grinned at her and AJ sat up as the doctor printed the picture.

"Doctor Shapiro delivered me." AJ informed Punk. "She's a great doctor."

"I'm sure she is." Punk smiled.

"Here you are Detective." She said passing him the two sonogram pictures.

"Wow." Punk said looking at it. "Can I keep this?"

"Sure." AJ smiled.

"I'll let you get dressed but for this rest of the night stay in bed and keep your feet up." The doctor told her.

"She will." Punk answered for AJ.

* * *

Later that night Shawn swung by Punk and AJ's to check in and make sure everything was ok.

"She's fine." Punk told Shawn. "She's in bed resting."

"The baby?" Shawn asked.

"You want to see?" Punk asked with a goofy smile and Shawn nodded. Punk passed him the sonogram photo and he grinned.

"Look at that." Shawn cheered. "They're so peaceful at this age." he teased. "Congrats again."

"Thanks." Punk said as Shawn passed him the picture.

"Has April said anything about the robber?" Shawn asked.

"No." Punk said annoyed. "She's too afraid."

"The woman who called in the robbery got a good look at that guy. She's lived in town her entire life and all 67 years has never seen him before in her life." Shawn said to him.

"Someone from out of town drove here to rob a small hardware shop and make away with what? A thousand bucks at most?" Punk asked him.

"Heath came down and ran the numbers and the most he got away with it was $400. It was a slow day." Shawn told him.

"He robbed only there and was dead set on killing her for $400?" Punk asked. "He went into her purse and took her ID out of her wallet but didn't touch her cash or cards."

"Strange." Shawn agreed. "He didn't try to touch her or anything-"  
"No." Punk said to him. "She would have told me and the doctors all said she was good. Not even a scratch on her."

"Something isn't adding up." Shawn said to him.

"I know." Punk muttered.

"I think we need to talk about Chicago- in detail and full honesty." Shawn said to him.

"No way does anything in Chicago have to do with this." Punk said to him. "If the McMahon's were out for me they'd come for me and if they were going to kill her they would have done it already and they'd want me to know."

"This guy didn't go out of his way to rip off a struggling hardware shop." Shawn said to him.

"Maybe he was looking for Heath." Punk said to him. "Could explain why he didn't actually kill AJ."

"He didn't kill AJ because she said she was dating a cop." Shawn said to him. "This guy was smart enough to know the police wouldn't just dust this under the rug. It would be huge news. Pregnant girlfriend of cop slain in robbery gone wrong."

"Then this person obviously didn't know anything about AJ." Punk pointed out.

"I need a better description of this guy." Shawn said to him. "I need to get sketches out."

"I'm working on it." Punk said to him.

"Well work harder because tomorrow morning John wants AJ at the station so he could interview her himself." Shawn said to him.

"Fuck that." Punk spat.

"He said because AJ is still part of the Jake Miller case this could be a connection to that." Shawn said annoyed.

"No way." Punk said to him. "Is he out of his mind?"

"He ran right out of the shop and only came back when I found the witness." Shawn informed him. "He was very interested in what she had to say but took no interest in anything else."

"He also heard me saying I was going to get AJ when he came over and started rambling on about Jake Miller." Punk pointed out coldly. "He wanted me stuck there he knew if I was there before the robber the job wouldn't get done."

"Are you saying you think Cena is dirty?" Shawn asked him.

"Yup." Punk said without hesitation. "Really think about it, how did Jake Miller find AJ at that motel? How the hell did he find her safe house?"

"That shot he took at Miller was risky, almost grazed April." Shawn pointed out. "Also his interest in Jake Miller's recovery has always been suspect."

"Maybe he's a relative of Jake's." Punk suggested.

"Could be." Shawn agreed. "Blames AJ for his condition? I mean its out there but I can't think of anything else that makes any sense."

"I don't want her seeing him tomorrow." Punk said to him. "Come up with something- anything."

"I'll tell him the doctor said she has to stay on bed rest." Shawn shrugged. "I'll give him the run around."

"Good." Punk said to him. "I appreciate it."

"And I'm going down to that hospital Jake Miller is in and demand to see him for myself." Shawn told him. "I'm going to find out for sure what the hell is going on at that hospital."

"Let me know what you find out." Punk said to him. "I'm taking the day because she's still pretty shaken and she needs to rest."

"Of course." Shawn said to him. "Don't let all of this get in the way of your happiness. A baby is a blessing and the best thing that could ever happen."

"We're pretty excited." Punk admitted with a smirk. "Well I'm really excited and she's really nervous."

"She'll get over that." Shawn laughed walking to the door. "Take care of her." He said to him.

"Will do." Punk promised.

* * *

"Look at this." AJ said to Punk as he walked into the bedroom. "Jake Miller's favorite victim almost gunned down in robbery in local shop. I made the news."

"Congrats." He remarked sarcastically. "You want to watch a movie or something?" he asked her getting into the bed.

"Yea. I don't think I could sleep even if I tried." she said to him.

"AJ your phone is ringing." He said looking at it light up but it was on silent.

"It's my father again." She said not even looking. "He must have heard."

"You don't want to tell him you're ok?" Punk asked her.

"Not really. He knows if he watched the same report I did." she said to him.

"You're not going to tell him you're having a baby?" Punk asked.

"Why would he even care?" AJ asked him. "I don't want an absentee grandparent in our child's life."

"Speaking of that." Punk started. "I was thinking of taking a trip to Chicago to tell my family."

"Really?" She asked surprised.

"Yea I mean it's not something I want to announce over the phone and I want you to meet my mother and sisters." He said to her.

"I'd love that." She grinned.

"And now I'm almost starting to think Chicago is a safer option for us." He admitted laying back in the bed.

"I wouldn't say that." AJ said to him. "Even though tonight was weird."

"I'm going to be honest with you AJ because that's what we do." Punk said to her seriously. "We don't hide things."

"Of course we don't." She said slowly.

"I think John Cena has something to do with this." he told her bluntly. "I don't know why but he's been acting weird and he kept from getting to you earlier. If he didn't pull me into a bullshit conversation I would have beat the robber there."

"I want to say you're crazy but you're the cop." AJ said to him.

"John is demanding to see you and question you about tonight. Probably to pump you for information on what you are willing to say." Punk said to her.

"What should I say to him?" AJ asked him.

"I'm blocking this for as long as I can but if he gets to you just tell him you don't remember what he looks like, you were in shock and don't remember much about any of it." Punk said to her and she nodded. "But I want you to tell me what he looked like."  
"Phil I can't." She whispered.

"AJ please." He sighed. "I have to get this guy off the streets. I'll be the only one who knows- me and Shawn. We don't want John to know that you tipped us off." Punk said to her. "We trust each other don't we?"

"I do trust you but you weren't the one looking down the barrel of a gun and begging for your life and the life of your unborn child." She sniffled. "I was so sure he was going to pull that trigger he wanted to and I saw it in his eyes."

"He's long gone AJ." Punk said to her. "No one robs a joint then sticks around to kill the witness. This town is so small he probably drove right out of it the minute he got into his car."

"He has my information." She reminded him.

"I know you're scared but I'm here now." He reminded her.

"What about the nights you work overnight?" She asked him. "What if he finds out I talked to you and comes back here and shoots me."

"You're going to tell me what he looks like and I'm going to catch him. He won't have the opportunity." Punk said to her. "You trust me?"

"We trust you." She said referring to the growing child inside of her. "Ok I'll tell you what he looked like."

"Thank you." He said relieved and reached for a pen and paper.

"He was white, had green eyes, dirty blonde hair that went up to his shoulders, it was dirty and he had a trucker cap on." she told him as she watched him jot it all down.

"Did he ever tell you to not look at his face? Or look away?" He asked her.

"No." she said to him and he just nodded as he continued to write.

"What was he wearing?" Punk asked.

"He had on a winter bubble jacket and it was dark gray, he didn't have gloves on, and he was wearing sweatpants they were black." she told him.

"Nothing on over his face?" he asked her.

"No and his hat wasn't pulled on tight so I saw his entire face." She told him. "Is that bad?"

"It's weird." Punk admitted. "It meant that he planned on killing you. Not a lot of robbers are willing to show their entire faces like that."

"He only made me turn around when he left." she said to him.

"Did he have an accent? Was he from Jersey?" Punk asked.

"You know what now that you mention it he didn't have a Jersey accent at all. He sounded different but I'm not sure where from." She admitted.

"And you've never seen him town?" Punk asked.

"Never." She confirmed. "You're not going to tell anyone are you?"

"Just Shawn." Punk said putting the notepad down.

"Thank you." She said to him. "Do you really think John had something to do with this?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just grasping at straws I don't know." he admitted.

"Are you going to work tomorrow?" She asked him.

"No I'm staying here with you." he said to her.

"Good." she said relieved. "I just need one day to fully shake this off."

"Take all the time you need. Someone pointing at a gun at you is scary." he said to her.

"He didn't just point it but when he made me get down on the floor he pressed it so hard against the back of my head." she said to him. "I've seen people die, I've almost been stabbed but tonight scared me so much because it wasn't just me tonight. All I could think about was the baby growing inside of me and how our child was depending on me to keep it safe."

"You did a great job." Punk said to her rubbing her knee.

"It's a lot of pressure." She said with a sad laugh.

"I know." He agreed. "But hey you heard the doctor, the baby is all good and that's because you did what you had to do."

"Cry and beg on the floor?" She asked him. "It was pathetic."

"It kept you alive." Punk said to her. "If you tried to fight him he would have definitely killed you. You have fantastic instincts always listen to them."  
AJ's phone lit up again and vibrated on the side table.

"Ugh." She groaned grabbing it. "It's my dad again."

"Maybe just tell him you're ok?" Punk suggested. "I know you're mad but he won't stop calling. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No I'll call him in the morning. Tonight I want to lay in bed with you and watch a funny movie." she said to him.

"I like that plan." He laughed.

"Are you going to be sleeping anytime soon?" She asked him quickly.

"Nah I think I'll probably be awake most of the night to keep an eye on the door." he said knowing she needed to hear that. "When Jake Miller was after you I told you that no one was going to get to you while I was there and I always kept my word, remember that?" she nodded. "Well I'm going to tell you the same thing tonight."

"What if it is John and for some reason he is trying to kill me or hurt me- what am I going to do?" she asked him.

"You've faced scarier." He smirked. "I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe and this is just another hurdle."

"I trust you." She said with a faint smile and rested her head against his chest as she looked towards the TV.

"I love you." he said to her. "I'm proud of how handled yourself tonight."

"I love you too." She smiled looking up at him and he dropped his lips briefly against hers. "I was thinking you could take the sonogram photo to work with you, keep it in your desk for now."

"Yea? Why's that?" he asked.

"You said you keep my picture there for motivation." She pointed out. "The baby will motivate you even more to stay safe."

"I agree." he said resting against the head board but kept his arm wrapped around her and used his thumb to rub gentle circles in her arm.


	22. Bigger Space

**Bigger Space**

* * *

Two days of avoiding John was going well for AJ. Punk kept throwing up excuses to keep him from speaking to her about the robbery and she stayed home for a few days while she rested. AJ was nervous when Punk headed out to work but she had Charger at her side and that made her feel better. Also as the time passed she realized this robber wouldn't come back for her. Punk also decided that he was going to take AJ out to Chicago this weekend to meet his family and for the most part get her out of Jersey for a bit. He was growing a little more nervous to even bring AJ into Chicago but he planned on keeping a low profile and they would only be there for the day right to his family's house then back home.

"Are you sure Chicago is the best idea?" Shawn asked Punk as they sat at their desks.

"It's better than being here." Punk said to him. "Any leads on the robber?"

"Nothing." Shawn said to him. "A patrol car spotted a similar car leaving state lines I assume he's long gone by now. But I can't hang around." he said standing up. "I finally got in to see the doctor."

"Let me know the real update on Jake." Punk said to him.

"Will do. Enjoy your trip." Shawn said to him.

"Are you bringing AJ down to the station today?" John asked walking over to them.

"Nope." Punk said to him.

"Don't make me go all the way to your place to ask her simple questions." John warned him.

"Why are you so involved in this again?" Shawn asked putting on his jacket.

"I already told you." John said to them.

"AJ is resting." Punk said to him.

"AJ was more talkative when a serial killer chased her through the woods." John noted. "I find it hard to believe she's still scared after a robbery."

"You don't know AJ." Punk shrugged. "As much as you like to think you do."

"Where are you off to?" John asked Shawn.

"Flying out to see my daughter." Shawn lied.

"Tell Becky I said hello." John said to him.

"Will do. I'll see you in a few days." he said to Punk who nodded.

"AJ still hasn't given a description on this guy?" John asked him.

"No she hasn't and if she had don't you think I'd be out looking for him?" Punk asked him. "Worry about your book and whatever the hell it is you're really doing out here and I'll worry about the small crime in this town and AJ."

"I'm just trying to help." John said to him.

"When I want your help I'll ask for it." Punk said to him.

* * *

AJ was preparing dinner for Punk since he was working so hard and taking such good care of her. She was going to cook his favorite, the Tacos she made the first night he ate dinner with her all of those months ago. Loud banging at the door startled her and Charger ran right to the door and began barking like crazy. AJ began to race towards the safe in her bedroom where Punk had told her where the guns were but froze when she heard a familiar voice.

"April it's me!" her father boomed.

"Fuck." AJ muttered.

"April I'm not leaving until you speak to me!" her father yelled out.

AJ walked over to the door and let her father in.

"I had no idea you were living with Detective Brooks." Robert noted stepping inside. "Something smells good."

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked folding her arms.

"I heard you were held up." His father noted. "I again wanted to extend the invitation to come to LA with me."

"Not happening." AJ said to him. "I'm fine."

"April bad things keeping happening here to you." her father noted. "Let me take care of you in LA."

"You've never been interested in taking care of me before." AJ pointed out cruelly.

"Please." he pleaded. "Stop making me get on a plane and begging for you to come home with me just do it."

"I'm happy where I am." She said to him.

"Here? In this tiny apartment?" he asked her.

"If it wasn't for Phil I'd be living in a trailer so you should be grateful that I'm here and not there." she informed him.

"I'm sure he's a nice man- to you at least- but you'll be happier elsewhere. There's plenty of nice men in LA, a lot of them work at my firm." he insisted.

"I'm pregnant." AJ told him bluntly and he nearly fainted.

"What was that?" Robert asked.

"I'm pregnant." She informed him again. "And I'm not leaving New Jersey especially without the father of my child."

"Wow." her father said surprised. "Can I sit down?"

"Sure." She said watching her father take a seat.

"Pregnant?" he asked her and she nodded. "How far along?"

"About eight weeks." She told him.

"Detective Brooks knows?" he asked her.

"Of course he knows." AJ scoffed.

"And you're keeping it?" He asked her.

"Of course I am." AJ said disgusted.

"Do you plan on getting married?" her father asked her.

"Phil and I have discussed that and no not anytime soon." She said to him. "We're happy were we are at."

"Jesus April." Robert said shaking his head.

"This has nothing to do with you." AJ reminded him.

"That's my grandchild you're carrying." Robert reminded her. "This apartment is far too small for a baby."

"There's an extra bedroom. Right now it's a storage room with all of my stuff in it but Phil is going to clean it out." She told him. "We're not rushing because obviously the baby is going to be in our room."

"A big dog, a baby and two adults here?" Robert asked. "Fine I'll set something up for all of you in LA."

"No." AJ argued. "We like it here. Besides if you were so concerned about space issues you shouldn't have sold my house."

"I didn't know you were pregnant." he argued.

"Would it have changed your mind?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know, maybe." he said running his hands over his face.

"I'm pretty excited about this and so is Phil so if you're going to be negative you can leave." AJ said to him.

"I don't want to be negative I'm just concerned." he said to her. "And a little in shock that I'm going to be a grandfather. Do you need anything? Are you seeing a good doctor?"

"Dr. Shapiro." AJ told him and he smiled.

"She delivered you." He remembered. "She's the best."

"She is." AJ agreed.

"Did you go get checked out after the robbery?" he asked her.

"Phil took me straight to the hospital and everything was good." AJ told him.

"That's good, very good." Robert said to her.

Punk walked inside the apartment and saw Robert sitting on the couch and AJ standing over him.

"Hi." AJ smiled and he greeted her with a quick kiss.

"Everything ok?" Punk asked.

"Yea my dad was just checking in." AJ said to him and walked back over to the stove.

"Congratulations." Robert said to Punk.

"Thank you." Punk said already sensing he was referring to the baby.

"My daughter was almost killed by an arm robber a few nights ago, how about you guys pack up and come to LA?" Robert offered.

"I told him no already." AJ said to Punk.

"I'll take care of AJ." Punk said to him.

"It's not just April anymore." Robert reminded him. "This apartment is far too small."

"It is not." AJ argued.

"It's ok." Punk said to AJ. "Right now it's fine maybe when the kid gets older it will be and we'll move somewhere else."

"Back to Chicago?" he asked him.

"Who said anything about Chicago?" Punk asked back.

"Do you really think it's wise to stay in this town with all of April's history here?" Robert asked him. "Our guest house has three bedrooms, it's right by the pool and you have live-in babysitters plus I can get you in with the LAPD." Robert told him.

"I love it here." AJ said to him.

"We're not moving to LA." Punk said to him.

"Is this the kind of environment you want your child growing up in?" he asked them standing up. "Both of you for that matter. Don't you want better for your own child?"

"What makes you think it won't be?" AJ asked him.

"The sins of the parents always haunt the child." Robert warned them. "This town is toxic."

"Don't say that." AJ said horrified.

"Do better by your child." Robert insisted.

"You're more interested in my child then you are your own." Punk chuckled.

"This is about April." Robert insisted. "And don't you two think you'll need help? What do either of you know about having a child?"

"We'll learn." AJ defended quietly.

"You work days and nights." Robert pointed out to Punk. "This is going to be a lot for April to take on alone but she doesn't have to be alone."

"She won't be alone. I'll take a few weeks off when the baby is first born." Punk said to him.

"And what about you? Are you going to go back to work?" Robert asked her. "A cop salary isn't going to cover the expenses of a child."

"I already told you I have a lot more money then you do." Punk reminded him. "Money isn't a problem for us."

"Then why was April working in that horrid shop when she was almost killed over a few bucks?" Robert demanded. "Do you not want to provide for my daughter because she's not your wife?"

"That's not the case." Punk said growing angry. "AJ wants to work."

"I really do." AJ insisted. "And Phil provides for me just fine and I think you should go." she said walking to the door and opening it. "If you can't be happy for us then you need to leave."

"I am happy I'm just concerned." Robert insisted.

"Worry somewhere else. I haven't needed you my entire life and I don't need you now." AJ informed him.

"Fine." Robert said. "But I will be checking in and if you don't answer expect to see me." he warned her. As soon as hew walked out the door AJ slammed the door after him.

"That was easy." Punk said walking over to the stove and turning the gas off.

"He just makes me so mad!" she said to him. "Where does he get off?"

"He's just trying to do something right by you." Punk said to her. "If he wasn't so annoying I'd say it was nice of him."

"Why would we pick up and move to LA anyway?" AJ asked him.

"Safe option." Punk shrugged. "I won't be able to get a job in LA." he warned AJ. "This was literally the only department that would take me. LA was my second choice."

"What was your first?" AJ asked.

"New York." He said to her. "I thought it would be similar to Chicago."

"Well as time passes you might be able to get a job elsewhere." AJ suggested.

"You don't want to leave your hometown." Punk smirked. "Besides no matter what has happened the last few months this is the safest place for our kid to grow up." he said to her. "You guys don't had kidnappers or perverts running around town."

"Just Jake Miller." AJ pointed out.

"And he's gone." he reminded her.

"What if we have a daughter and she's in school and someone just like Jake Miller shows up?" AJ asked him.

"Do you have any idea how rare of something like that happening is?" Punk asked her. "Even to you stuff like that doesn't just happen."

"Really? Because when I spoke to the police after it happened they said it was common." AJ said to him.

"Teachers having crushes on students? Sure that happens but not going to extent he went to." Punk said to her. "Besides she'll have a cop for a father." Punk remarked smugly.

"That is true. I always wonder if things would have been different had my father been around." AJ admitted.

"Maybe but there's no point in wondering and I'll never just run off on my kid." He promised her.

"Even if things go bad between us?" she asked him.

"I don't see that happening ever but of course." Punk said to her. "If we ever broke up I wouldn't pick up and leave my kid here. You'd be stuck with me for life regardless."

"Good." she said relieved.

"Did you pack for Chicago?" he asked her.

"Yup everything is over there by the door." She said pointing to the three bags.

"We're going for two days." He laughed. "Why do you have so much crap?"

"I couldn't decide what I wanted to wear when I met your family and you said you were taking me to dinner one night so I wants to pack a dress and shoes and my hair stuff-" she rambled off.

"Can you try to knock it down to two at least?" he asked her. "Don't worry about toothbrushes and stuff because I have all of that at my place."

"We're staying at your old place?" AJ asked him and he nodded.

"I need to pack up a few things anyway." Punk said to her. "I didn't bring a lot when I first moved down. Nothing big just some extra clothes and stuff."

"Oh cool." AJ said to him. "I can't wait to see how you lived before."

"It's not that exacting I was never home much anyway." He said to her. "Tacos?" he asked looking at the food.

"Yea if I didn't burn them." She said giving him a cute sad smile.

"Nah it looks great." he grinned.

* * *

AJ's hands were wrapped around the bars of the headboard and the comforter was covering her from the waist down. The TV was off but there was music on, Punk's choice and AJ didn't even care that it was heavy rock music she was tossing in bed and arching up under the covers and thanks to the music she couldn't hear herself. Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head and her smile was growing by the second. AJ felt her body tighten as she gripped behind her on the bars of the headboard so hard she thought she was going to break them. Finally her body was at ease and she began to catch her breath and lowered her arms down and pulled the comforter down to see her boyfriend between her legs.

Punk looked up at her almost smugly as he licked her clean and began to kiss up her stomach gently then over her bra and around her neck. AJ wrapped her arms around his neck and welcomed the kisses to her neck. She was on cloud nine finally after a hectic few days.

"I love you." he whispered into her ear and she smiled wider.

Punk was cradled in-between her legs and stroked himself as he kissed her tenderly. Her lips moved from his and kissed the corner of his mouth and began kissing his jawline. She pulled his face closer to her so she could nipple on his ear and that's when he slid into her body with easy causing her to bite down roughly on his earlobe.

"Biter." he hissed with a grin as he pushed into her quickly.

"That feels so good." She moaned happily as she just laid there and let him do all of the work. "So fucking good."

"You feel good." He corrected.

AJ's nails trailed down Punk's back and tickled his spine as he hands reached his ass and cupped both checks to push him inside of her harder. Her knees were bent towards the top half of her body and now Punk was picking up his pace for her but not going to fast out of fear of the growing child.

"Oh Phil." She moaned. "Oh yes."

"That's it." Punk encouraged.

AJ hand moved down her stomach but Punk captured it and lifted her arms over hear head and was nose to nose with her as he kept his eyes locked on hers as he fucked her.

"Oh my god!" She cried out.

Ten more minutes in and Punk could feel AJ's body begin to tighten and felt her liquid drip from her body and hit against him. He let out a growl and pulled out of her body and rested on his side. Punk didn't finish but he was sure AJ was spent so he began to stroke himself roughly and was aiming for right over her stomach. AJ caught on and pushed Punk onto his back and lowered herself to take his tip into her mouth and sucked on it like a lollipop while she stroked him.

"Oh fuck AJ." He groaned and spurted into her mouth.

"Yum." She teased wiping her mouth and settled back onto her side of the bed.

"You ok?" he asked catching his own breath.

"Yup." she said happily. "That's exactly how I like to fall asleep at night."

"Oh before I forget Heath dropped by the station and said to take as long as you need." Punk tilting his head to look at her.

"I know. I called him before you got home and I told him I'd be back Monday." AJ said to him.

"Are you sure?" Punk asked her. "You know you really don't have to work." he pointed out. "I can provide for you and the baby."

"I know that." she said with sweet smile. "I want to work though I've gotten used to it and I kind of like it."

"But there? No one would blame you for looking somewhere else." Punk told her.

"I went back home after watching my mother die, I can go back to a shop where I was robbed." She said to him. "Speaking of that..."

"Shawn says he left town. The car the original witness described was spotted by a patrol officer leaving town that same night." Punk said to her and she relieved. "See? Nothing to worry about and I do promise you once I get to the bottom of the John thing I will get the guy who held you up." he promised lacing his fingers with her and kissing her knuckled tenderly.

"If you find information proving you're right about John what are you going to do?" AJ asked him. "Turn him in?"

"As opposed to what?" Punk asked her. "Killing him?"

"Yea." She said to him.

"I don't just run around killing people." He reminded her.

"I know that." She sighed.

"I'm not going to kill him." Punk said to her honestly. "I'd like to but I'm not going to. I'm still haunted by McMahon."

"You should let it go." She encouraged. "You did what you had to do."

"I'm not proud of it." He confided. "Promise me out kid will never know what I'm capable of."

"You don't want our child to know that you're willing to do anything to protect your family?" AJ asked him.

"She was already gone." Punk reminded her.

"Why are you thinking about this now?" She asked him. "Is it because we're going back to Chicago?"

"Yea a lot is flooding back to me." Punk told her.

"I want to have a good time while I'm there. What if your mom and sisters don't like me?" She asked him.

"Impossible." he said to her.

"What if they hate the idea of us having a baby?" she asked him.

"They won't." He smirked.

"So what do you think we're having?" she asked with a shy smile.

"A human." He teased and she laughed.

"That's good." She giggled. "I meant a boy or girl."

"I really don't know." He said to her. "I just want it to be healthy."

"Me too." she agreed. "I always wanted a little girl."

"Yea? Why's that?" he asked placing his hand over her stomach.

"My mom and I had such a good relationship that I want a similar one." she said to him. "Silly huh?"

"Nope not at all." Punk said to her.

"She can grow up to be nothing like me and hate me." She pointed out horrified. "What if she hates me Phil?"

"She's not going to hate you." Punk laughed. "How can anyone hate you?"

"She might think I smother her too much or I'll be the bad cop laying down all the rules and you'll be the cool fun parent." she said to him. "You won't make me the bad cop will you?"

"No." He laughed. "You're freaking out over nothing."

"I really want your family to be ok with this because this baby has no one on my side of the family." She sighed.

"That's not true your dad seemed mildly interested." Punk remarked.

"For right now, tomorrow he'll forget all about it." she said to him.

"They'll be more then ok with this AJ, they'll be ecstatic." he assured her. "They just want to see me happy and you do that for me."

"Do I really?" she asked him.

"Yup." he said to her.

"And I know it's still early but you're still going to clean out the spare room right?" she asked him.

"I'll do it next weekend. You know AJ if you wanted to move I'd be ok with that. We could get a house out here without a problem." Punk said to her.

"I just moved." She sighed. "I don't have the energy to do it again. Besides we don't need a big house."

"No? You lived in a pretty big house all by yourself most of your life." He smirked.

"That house would have been perfect for us." AJ said to him. "My tire swing was still on the tree in the back and my mom used to mark how tall I was getting every six months by the kitchen closet even though I'm sure John painted over all of that by now."

"When I bust John for whatever the hell he is up to I'm going to get you your house back." He promised her.

"It's ok Phil." She said to him.

"No it's not. You will be back in that house before you know it." he said to her.

"I don't even care where I am anymore as long as you're with me." she said to him.

"Well I planned on moving in with you and the baby." He laughed.

"I don't want to get my hopes up." She said to him. "Because again that house would be so perfect for us. There's four bedrooms and a huge yard."

"I know I've been there." He smirked. "And get your hopes up because you're getting your home back."

"Well if that happens it won't just be my home it will be our home." She reminded him.

"Think about what kind of wallpaper you want in the kids room." he told her confidently.

"Batman." She grinned.

"You are my soul mate." He laughed.

"Have I told you today that I love you?" she asked him.

"I don't recall hearing it today." Punk said seriously.

"I love you." She smiled and rolled half onto him to kiss him. "And I'm grateful you came into my life. You not only saved me but you've given me so much joy."

* * *

Shawn was at the hospital waiting in the doctors office for almost an hour.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Detective Michaels." the doctor greeted.

"No problem." Shawn said as the doctor sat across from him.

"I needed to go through some channels to clear that I could speak to you." The doctor said to him. "FBI wanted this tight lipped."

"FBI or Agent Cena?" Shawn asked.

"Agent Cena was his name yes." The doctor said to him. "Now due to confidentiality I can't give you Mr. Miller's records but since he's not a patient here anymore-"

"Wait what?" Shawn asked. "He's not here?"

"No Detective he was cleared and discharged." The doctor told him.

"I was under the impression that Jake was undergoing physical therapy." Shawn said to him.

"For a gun shot wound to his ear?" The doctor laughed.

"To his ear?" Shawn asked.

"Yes his ear was shot off practically and that's what took so long and Agent Cena flew in specialists but it was nothing life threatening." the Doctor said to him.

"Do you know where he was taken to?" Shawn asked.

"No. Agent Cena came and cuffed him a few days ago and signed his release." The doctor told him.

"So Jake Miller was ok with walking and talking?" Shawn asked.

"Yes Detective." the doctor told him.

"I've got to go." Shawn said to him. "Thank you so much for your time."

As soon as Shawn stepped outside he dialed Punk's number but it went right to voicemail.

"Jake Miller is up and out of the hospital. I have no idea where he is now but Cena is the one who picked him up. Keep an eye on April." Shawn said then hung up.


	23. Suffocated

**Suffocated**

* * *

AJ and Punk had just landed in Chicago and the minute they landed he was on his phone with Shawn. He wasn't saying much but just listening but whatever they were talking about seemed to have concerned Punk. He kept walking away to talk into the phone and was being very secretive. She assumed it had to do with John and it was stuff she couldn't know about so she didn't let it bother her.

"Phil are we waiting for a cab?" AJ asked as they were waiting in the pickup area he remained on the phone when he shook his head 'no' to her.

"Ugh." she groaned sitting on on her suitcase.

"Need a lift?" A voice asked and AJ looked up to see Colt Cabana.

"Colt!" she greeted standing up and hugging him. He spun her around for a moment before settling her back on her feet.

"I'm here!" Colt shouted towards Punk who just waved at him.

"He's been on the phone since before we left." She said to Colt who grabbed her bag and tossed into his trunk.

"It's probably a work thing." Colt said placing Punk's bag in the trunk now.

"How are you doing?" AJ asked him.

"Things have really died down so it's all good. I was surprised when Punk said he was bringing you to Chicago to meet the family." Colt said to her.

"Well we have some news for them." AJ said to him.

"Hey, thanks for coming." Punk said finally putting his phone away.

"No problem." Colt said to him. "So what's the big news?"

"None of your business." Punk smirked opening the back door AJ then closing it.

"I don't get to know?" Colt asked annoyed.

"Keep an eye out for Jake Miller." he whispered to Colt who caught on that AJ clearly didn't know. "Get his picture out and make sure he's not creeping around downtown."

"Done." Colt said to him.

"And don't say a word to her." he mouthed to Colt who again nodded then climbed into the drivers seat.

* * *

"Wow your place is huge!" AJ notes as they stepped in his front door. "I mean this is really huge!"

"And no one lives in it." Colt noted dropping the bags by the stairs.

"How could you go from this to where you are now?" AJ asked him seriously.

"I thought you liked our apartment?" Punk asked.

"You two are living together now?" Colt asked.

"Oh yea." Punk laughed. "Forgot to mention that."

"Why did you move into his small apartment and not your big house?" Colt asked her.

"She got evicted." Punk said to him.

"My dad sold the house." AJ said to Colt.

"Anything else I should know?" Colt asked them.

"I got a job." AJ told him proudly.

"As a chef?" Colt asked seriously and AJ laughed.

"No but that's a great idea." AJ said to him.

"A hardware shop." She said to him.

"Ugh." Colt said and looked at Punk. "You let her work at a hardware shop?"

"I don't control what she does." Punk said to him as he looked around his place.

"So is the big news that you're telling family that you finally found a girl who could put up with you? They'll never believe you actually moved someone in with you." Colt laughed.

"No it's not." Punk said to him and AJ nodded for him to tell him.

"What is it? You're getting married?" Colt asked.

"We're having a baby." Punk told him.

"A baby!" he boomed with a grin. "A fucking kid!?"

"Hey." Punk scolded.

"This is so great!" Colt said hugging AJ. "When are are you due?"

"November." AJ told him.

"So you're only a few weeks along huh?" Colt asked.

"Yup." AJ said to him.

"Your mom is going to be so excited." Colt chuckled. "I'm so excited! So are you guys moving back now?"

"No." Punk said to him. "Why would we do that?"

"Well having a baby is a big responsibility and I figured you're going to need some help." Colt shrugged. "I mean your mom and sisters live a few blocks over, I'm around the corner and you have plenty more friends willing to help."

"We have friends in Jersey." Punk scoffed then thought about it. "Well AJ has friends there." he corrected.

"We've talked about moving but Jersey seems like the safest option." AJ said to Colt.

"But you have this big house just sitting here and there's plenty of room for a baby." Colt pointed out.

"We're not moving back here." Punk said to him. "Jersey has big yards and other children playing, no mafia, safe playgrounds, no street violence-"

"Your family is here." Colt argued.

"Why are you making such a big fucking deal about it?" Punk asked him. "I don't want to be here end of discussion."

"I just don't know if you realize what you've gotten yourself into." Colt said to him.

"And how many fucking kids do you have?" Punk snapped. "Jersey is the best option and that's the end of the discussion."

"Come on this is supposed to be a happy time." AJ smiled at them.

"You're right." Colt said to her. "So when are you going to your mom's?"

"A few hours for dinner." Punk told him.

"Need a ride?" Colt asked.

"No I'll take my car." Punk told him.

"Isn't your car in Jersey?" AJ asked him.

"I have three cars and only took one to Jersey." Punk smirked.

"It's like dating Bruce Wayne." AJ whispered in awe of him. "Fights crime at night but a millionaire by day."

"She's your type." Colt laughed.

"You look tired." Punk noted looking down at her. "Need a nap before dinner tonight?"

"That does sound nice." she admitted. "Where's the bedroom?"

"Up the stairs the only room with double doors." he said to her. "I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Ok." She said. "Thanks for the ride Colt."

"Anytime." Colt grinned and watched her skip up the stairs. "What's going on with Jake Miller?"

"He was sprung from the hospital and no one knows where he is. When Shawn inquired about it the FBI told him he's in 'protective custody'." Punk said to him.

"That's a good thing isn't it?" Colt asked.

"Yea if I knew why he was in protective custody, wasn't told he was half dead and wasn't being protected by a certain FBI agent." Punk said to him. "AJ got held up at work a week ago and I think it's this FBI agent."

"What?" Colt asked with a laugh. "Why would you think that?"

"It just all fits." Punk said to him. "I can't go into all of it but something is wrong, very wrong and I'm not excluding Nash or Levesque having something to do with it as well."

"To a random hold up a job?" Colt asked confused.

"There hasn't been a hold up in that town for ten years, the guy only made off with $400 and AJ swears he was going to kill her." Punk said to him. "She told him I was a cop and on my way so I think that scared him off. He wasn't someone who lives in town either. So obviously this guy came from out of town to do what? Hold up a hardware shop that gets ten customers a day? Makes no sense."

"Maybe he was on the run and passing through?" Colt suggested.

"Agent Cena heard me saying I was going to pick up AJ and distracted me with some bullshit story." Punk said to him. "At first I thought he wanted in her pants but now I don't know what he's up to."

* * *

Punk headed into the bedroom twenty minutes later and AJ was passed out cold sleeping on the bed. He grabbed a throw blanket and gently placed it over to keep her warm and looked down at not only his girlfriend but the mother of his child. He heard his doorbell and was already alarmed because who knew he was back in town besides Colt?

He quietly crept from the bedroom and down the stairs and there was his mother and three sisters.

"You're early and in the wrong place." Punk noted.

"We've been dying to see you." his mother smiled kissing him hello. "Girls put the food in the kitchen and we'll start cooking."

"You're cooking here? I don't have any food in the house-" Punk began.

"That's why we bought everything over." his mother grinned. "So what's this big surprise?"

"It's not ready yet." Punk smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" his mother asked walking into his kitchen and he followed.

"Yea did you get a dog?" his youngest sister asked.

"No Katie I didn't get a dog." Punk mocked. "Well maybe I did actually..."

"You're not sure if you have a dog?" Katie asked.

"We all know the surprise." his middle sister replied smugly.

"Oh really?" Punk laughed.

"Yea you're moving back home." Jenny grinned.

"You got tired of boring New Jersey." his eldest sister Valarie added.

"Not exactly." Punk smirked.

"So what is going on?" his mother asked.

"Can't this wait a few hours?" Punk asked.

"Is it a girlfriend?" Valarie asked with a slow grin. "Did you meet a real true blue Jersey girl?"

"That's part of it." Punk admitted.

"You're getting married!" Katie announced.

"No." Punk snapped.

"So what is it?" Jenny asked. "You know we have no patience."

"I really wanted to wait." Punk said to her.

"Is your new girlfriend here?" Katie asked. "Where is she?"

"She's sleeping upstairs." Punk said to her. "So keep it down."

"You never bought a girl home to meet me when you lived in Chicago and now you're flying them out to meet me?" His mother asked. "She must be special."

"She is." Punk admitted.

"What's her name?" Valarie asked grinning.

"AJ- April." Punk said almost nervously.

"April..." Valarie trailed off thinking for a moment. "She was the girl in that big case you working wasn't she?"

"Yea." Punk said to her.

"Oh I saw her picture on TV she's very pretty!" Jenny smiled.

"Here look." Katie said having pulled up her photo on her phone from a news website.

"Wow she is beautiful." His mother smiled.

"She really is." Punk agreed. "Imagine how cute our kid is going to be." he added slyly and while his sisters didn't pick up on it his mother did and froze.

"Did you say kid?" She asked him.

"We're having a baby." Punk told them unable to hide his smile.

"My baby is having a baby?" His mother asked holding back tears and threw her arms around him.

"Are you serious?" Katie asked with a smile.

"A baby?" Valarie asked laughing.

"This can't be real." Jenny added but all three gave him a hug.

"It's real and happening." Punk told them. "In November you'll be aunts and grandma."

"Grandma." his mother gasped placing her hand against her heart. "Can we come up with something a tad younger?"

"Sure." Punk smirked.

"Where is this girl?" His mother asked anxiously.

"She's sleeping, she had a long week and rough flight." Punk warned them. "But she's very nervous about meeting you all so please be nice to her."

"Be nice to her? We're going to sit her on a throne for making you so happy." Valarie laughed.

"It's just all of you at once can be a tad overwhelming." Punk pointed out nervously.

"We'll be nice and calm." Katie promised him.

"That's all I ask." Punk said to them.

"You look tired too." his mother noted. "Do you need a nap?"

"Nah I'm ok." Punk said brushing it off.

"Are you sure?" his mother frowned. "I thought going to New Jersey would be easier for you but you were in charge of one of the biggest cases in the country."

"Well that's been over and done for a while." Punk said to her. "I just hate flying you know that."

"Ok well just relax and we'll take care of all of the food." His mother said to him. "Is there anything April doesn't eat?"

"No she seems to eat everything and anything." Punk snorted.

* * *

A few hours later Punk hated to do it but he had to wake AJ up. He headed into the bedroom and leaned down and kissed her lips causing her eyes to open.

"Good nap?" he smirked.

"I slept like a rock." She smiled stretching then peered over to his alarm clock and saw it was almost 7 causing her to shoot up. "Oh my god Phil we're late for your mothers dinner!"

"AJ it's ok." he said as she jumped out of the bed and got tangled in the throw blanket, tripped and landed on the floor. "Jesus Ape be careful." he scolded helping her up.

"Phil we were supposed to be there at 6 why didn't you wake me!?" she ran over to her suitcase and started throwing clothes out of it. "I had the perfect dress!"

"AJ relax they're here." Punk said to her and she slowly turned to look at him.

"In the house?" She whispered.

"Yea." He laughed. "They've been here for hours cooking."

"Why didn't you get me up?" She asked horrified.

"Because you looked so cute sleeping like that." He teased.

"This already a terrible impression." AJ mumbled. "I don't have time to shower or dress properly-"

"You can go down just like that." He said to her.

"Are you kidding me Phil?" She snapped and he jumped back in fear.

"They already know you're pregnant and they just want to meet you." Punk said to her.

"I need to look presentable." she insisted.

"Well dinner is going to be ready in ten minutes." Punk warned her.

"Oh no." AJ said to him. "Phil I'm really nervous."

"It's ok I'll help." he said to her.

Five minutes later AJ was dressed and gripping Punk's one hand in-between both of her tightly as he dragged her into the kitchen.

"April." Punk mother's greeted with open arms and pulled her into a hug forcing her to drop Punk's hand. "It's good to meet you."

"You too." AJ smiled nervously.

"Hi! I'm Valarie." Punk eldest greeted. "And this is Jenny and Katie."

"Hi." AJ said with a small wave.

"Welcome to the family." Valarie smiled giving her a hug.

"Thanks." she said still feeling nervous.

"We're not going to bite." Jenny assured her. "Come sit down." She said taking AJ by the wrist.

"Remember what I said." Punk warned his sisters.

"We're being calm." Katie hissed.

"April do you want something to drink?" Punk's mother asked.

"A glass of water?" she requested. "Thank you Mrs-" she stopped when she realized she didn't know Punk's adoptive mothers last name.

"You can call me Roe." she smiled placing a glass of ice water in front of her.

"Thank you so much." She smiled at her.

AJ spent a half an hour talking to his sisters about everything, they seemed to really like AJ they complimented her hair and makeup and quizzed her on most of her life story. Punk was not part of any the conversation and he simply sat next to AJ and listened to all of the girls talk.

"I hope you like chicken." Roe said placing a dish in front of AJ.

"I do." She grinned but as soon as AJ looked down at the food and got smell her stomach turned. "Oh no." she mumbled.

"Something wrong?" Punk asked her.

"Excuse me." She said placing her hand over mouth and jetting out her seat. Punk stood up and watched her run into the first door and cringed.

"Are you going to tell her that she's barfing in your closet?" Katie asked him.

"I'll go check on her." Roe said to them.

"Let me do it." Punk said to her.

"How about you let a woman who has carried three healthy children do it." Roe remarked and walked over to the door AJ ran into and knocked. "April it's Roe."

"Sorry." AJ said slowly opening the door from the floor.

"It's ok." Roe smiled placing her hands on her shoulders and helping her to her feet. "Let's get you upstairs and cleaned up."

"I thought that was a bathroom." She whispered turning bright red. "I didn't get a tour. I should clean it up first."

"Don't be silly Phillip will clean it." Roe said loud enough for Punk to hear it.

Upstairs in the bathroom that was the size of their entire apartment AJ was sitting on a chair and Roe was cleaning AJ's face gently with a cloth.

"There you're all clean." Roe smiled.

"I'm so embarrassed." AJ said again.

"Don't be ridiculous." Roe scolded. "You are an expecting mother you can't control or know what the baby doesn't want you to eat."

"I really do like chicken." She smiled sadly.

"I'm sure you do." Roe grinned cupping her face gently. "You really are a beautiful girl."

"Thank you so much." AJ said to her. "This isn't the impression I wanted to make."

"You made a fine impression." Roe assured her. "Phil is smiling from ear to ear and I haven't seen that since he was a boy so that was your first impression. I remember when Valarie used to bring him over after school and how happy he was as a kid then so much changed."

"I'm sure he won't be smiling when he says I threw up on his gym equipment in his closet." she smirked.

"He'll get over it." Roe laughed. "Phil told me all about your mother and everything you've gone through and I think you're pretty remarkable. He also told me how you've taken such good care of him."

"Did he leave out the part about how he's the one whose protected me and taken care of me?" she laughed.

"He told me all about your mother's magical soup and how you make sure he eats right." Roe laughed. "I think he's a little afraid of you." AJ let out a loud laugh at the revelation. "If you have any questions about this pregnancy I want you to call me." she said to AJ. "I know this can be scary and you'll have a lot of questions and you don't- well I just want you to know that if you call anytime, day or not I'll answer."

"I really appreciate that." AJ smiled. "And I might just take you up on the offer."

"I hope you do." Roe said to her. "Now you have to eat something and chicken is out so I have salad down there and some vegetables."

"I don't even eat vegetables when I'm not sick to my stomach." She told her seriously and Roe laughed.

"Ok I also made a chocolate cake for desert." Roe smiled and AJ's face lit up. "I thought that would work. I craved chocolate when I was pregnant with Jenny."

"But you went through all of this trouble for dinner." AJ said standing up.

"Don't you worry about that. You need to eat what makes you feel good, come on now." Roe said placing a motherly arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the bathroom.

* * *

"How come AJ doesn't have to have the vegetables?" Katie asked as they sat at the table eating the chicken dinner and AJ sat at the counter eating a big piece of cake.

"Because she's pregnant and the baby doesn't want chicken." Roe said to her.

"Can I have a bite?" Punk asked AJ as he peered over his shoulder to look at her.

"You never ask to share a pregnant woman's food." Roe scolded.

"Your mom said no." AJ said with a shrug and a full mouth.

"So tell us about your apartment in Jersey. How big is it?" Jenny asked.

"It's not half the size of this place, it's actually not the size of the bathroom." AJ said swallowing a large bite of cake.

"AJ's family home is beautiful and we'll be moving in there shortly." Punk told them.

"That's not true." AJ said to his sisters.

"No it's true." Punk smiled as he took a bite out of his food.

"That house was sold Phil seems to think he'll be able to get back from someone who has zero intention of selling." AJ said to them.

"Always looking for a challenge." Roe said glaring at Punk.

"It's not a challenge." Punk said simply. "It's a great house has a lot of history and character. It's old and in great shape you would love it Ma."

"I'm trying to not get my hopes up."AJ told them.

"He won't let you down." Valarie laughed. "It's in his mind so he'll make it happen."

"Well there's no pressure I love the apartment. It's right near work and a bunch of shops." AJ told them.

"Wow you're with a woman who actually wants to earn her own money?" Jenny mocked. "What's it like to date a woman who has more then half a brain and pride?"

"It's challenging." Punk grinned sarcastically.

"See? He loves a challenge." Roe smirked looking over to AJ.

"So boy or girl?" Katie asked anxiously.

"We'll find out in a few weeks." Punk told her.

"We think a girl though." AJ told her.

"A little girl." Katie beamed. "You've always been surrounded by girls."

"Yea at least I know what I'll be getting myself into." Punk smirked taking another bite of his food.

"This cake is so good." AJ said to Roe and she had chocolate around her mouth.

"Take another piece." Roe instructed her.

"But she'll eat the whole thing." Punk frowned.

"Your girlfriend is pregnant and wants to have the cake don't be selfish." Valarie scolded.

"Yea Phil." Katie added.

"Eat as much as you want." Roe told AJ.

* * *

Later that night after Punk's family left he cleaned up and fell onto his comfortable couch while AJ was upstairs showering. AJ came down the stairs in her robe and stood over Punk.

"Did you need help cleaning up?" she asked him.

"Nah it's all done." He said as his eyes were closed.

"Are you trying to sleep." She asked and he didn't open his eyes but did smile.

"Maybe." he said amused.

"That's too bad." She said to him and he opened his eyes and saw her untying her robe and letting it drop and pool around her feet but to reveal her completely nude body.

"I'm not that tired." he said as his eyes opened wide.

AJ smirked and moved so she was straddling him. She lifted his shirt off of him and tossed it behind the couch and he placed his hands behind his head and felt her reach into his pants and held him in her small hands and began to massage herself against him. He was sliding through between her folds and he was in no rush, he'd let her tease him.

Punk watched as she continued to rub herself against him. His hand moved from his head and began to rub her sweet spot to warm her up but apparently she already was. He waited and watched as she lifted her hips and dropped down on him all the way until she was hugging his thighs. Punk took the opportunity to sit up and and captured her right breast in his mouth. His eyes looked up at her as his tongue ran around her nipple and his teeth teased her flesh. She began to roll her hips and he still didn't move his mouth.

His arm was around her waist as she started to move a little quicker and her latched on to her other breast now and still kept his eyes on her then closed them as he focused on her breast. His hand cupped her neglected breast and she was moaning on top of him. He felt AJ place her hands on his chest and push him onto the couch and dropped her arms to either side of his head and her face was inches away from him and rose and dropped onto him. She was raising to the point he was almost out of her body completely then slowly dropping back down while her face cascaded around his face like a vale.

"Beautiful." He said with a straight and serious face as he watched her smile slowly smile at him. "So fucking beautiful."

His hands were now on her sides but just for purchase, she didn't need help making love to him. Punk tried to reach up to kiss her but she was too far away and she wasn't moving closer. He had no choice but to just lay there but now he was slowly rocking his hips up into her as well. AJ could feel her body betraying her as her muscles began to tighten and Punk felt it as well when she came. She became weaker as she tried to finish him but fell onto his chest but kept raising her lower half.

Punk held onto her tightly and pushed up into her with all of his strength to help her out knowing she was tired and spent for the night. Once he came he dropped his hips back down to the couch and kiss the side of her face that was covered by her hair and ran his fingertips up and down her spine gently.

"Tired?" he teased even though she slept most of the day she was still exhausted. He was able to sit up with his body still connected to hers and then stood up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and let him carry up the stairs into their bedroom while her head rested on his shoulder.

Punk placed her on her side of the bed and pulled the covers up over her as he slid right in next to her. As soon as he got comfortable she threw herself over him and kissed just his chin and rested her head against his bare chest.

"I'm really excited." She yawned.

"For what?" He asked playing with her hair gently.

"The baby, our future." she said in a sleepy voice. "Everything."

"Me too." he admitted laughing slightly at the irony. He never imagined this would happen in his life laying in bed with a beautiful woman, expecting a child and hoping she'd never leave him. Everything good in his life came from her.

"Your family is awesome by the way." She said to him.

"They really liked you too." Punk told her honestly.

"We can bring the baby here to visit right?" she asked him.

"Sure." He forced out but wasn't too sure about that.

"When were you going to tell me Jake Miller was missing?" she asked him calmly.

"What?" He asked now fully awake again.

"I'm a good lip reader." She informed him. "Fun fact."

"Something I wish you would have shared with me a while ago." he mumbled. "He's not missing he's in FBI custody."

"He's in John Cena's custody and didn't you tell me John is bad?" she asked him.

"Shawn is working on it AJ." Punk said to her.

"Who is after me?" she asked him. "The Jake thing I get but the robbery and now hiding Jake- if it is John why is he trying to have me killed?"

"I'm not going to let that happen." He said confidentiality.

"I know you won't which is why I haven't freaked out." She said to him.

"Good." he said to her. "It's fine, like I said Shawn is working on it now and tomorrow when we get back I'm going right down to the station to help him."

"I don't want him to hurt the baby that's all I care about." She confided.

"He's not going to hurt you or the baby." Punk promised.

"I just feel suffocated. Jake, John this robber- it's like I keep catching breaks but I'm running out lives." She admitted.

"Don't think like that." he said to her. "The day I met you I told you I'd protect you and I'm still going to. I haven't let you down yet have I?"

"No you haven't." She had to admit.

"And I won't." He said simply. "The key to all of this is John and I plan on getting to the bottom of it."

* * *

Back in New Jersey it was close to 2am when John arrived at the quiet police station. Shawn was long gone and he had been dodging Shawn for days now. He looked around and saw no one really paid any mind to him and sat at Punk's desk. He picked up the framed photo of April he had at his desk and frowned. He then pulled open his desk drawer and saw he had a lot more pictures, his adoptive sisters and mother, friends from the force, his biological parents and sister- he was more of a family man then John gave him credit for.

John opened the second drawer that had nothing in it but one picture but it wasn't a regular picture it was a sonogram photo. John lifted it out of the drawer and examined it. It was dated a week ago when AJ was robbed and had her name on it. She was pregnant with his kid. John was frozen as he looked at it hoping if he looked hard enough it didn't exist. He had one week to take AJ out but now she was pregnant and this made things ten times more difficult.

He didn't understand why the man he paid to kill AJ took off without the rest of his money and left his stuff at the motel, she must have told him as a least ditch effort to save herself from being killed. Killing AJ wasn't something John wanted to do which is why he went out of his way to try to have other people to do it. He also knew with AJ being pregnant Punk was going to be ten times more protective over his girlfriend and it would make things impossible for him. Even if he wanted to do it himself Punk wasn't letting him anywhere near AJ because him and Shawn were on to him.

If John was any kind of man he would tell Nash to shove it and go back to doing the right thing by his badge and protect her but he was owned by them and the extra cash only helped entice him to keep this going. He looked again at the sonogram photo then slipped it into his suit pocket and closed Punk's desk drawer. Seven days left and AJ and her baby would be dead and as much as he didn't want to that it was either his life or hers and right now he was more concerned with his own.

"What are you doing?" Officer Daniels asked John causing him to jump up out of Punk's seat.

"Just needed a computer to use." John told him.

"You should try turning it on." Officer Daniels said narrowing his eyes at the shady agent. "I don't think the power button is located in Brooks' desk drawer."

"You're right." John laughed. "But I don't need it anymore I have to head out of here."

"Right." Officer Daniels said eyeing him carefully.

"Have a good night." John said to him.

John jumped into his car and pulled out of the parking lot never the wiser that there was a car following him the entire time. Shawn was right on his tail and sure enough John didn't go home but instead to the motel where AJ was stowed away during the Jake Miller case. He parked a few spots over and kept his lights off as he watched John walk into a room and when he did a man walked out. He was obviously some sort of security but he didn't look like an FBI agent, no he looked a 'tough guy'. Shawn snapped a photo of the man guarding the door and waited a half an hour for John to leave and the guard walked back in.

"What are you up to you creepy son of a bitch?" Shawn asked himself and watched John climb back into his car.


	24. Revelations

**Revelations**

* * *

Punk and AJ arrived back at around 5 on Sunday and Punk decided now to start cleaning out the spare bedroom. It was something that didn't need to be done right now but Punk wanted to keep his mind occupied, AJ was lucky enough to just sit on the couch and watch.

"You really don't have to do that now." AJ said to him as Charger rested his face on AJ's lap.

"Yea I know but I have the time now." Punk said to her as he carried a box out.

"A lot of those are comics." AJ told him. "I was thinking we could hang shelves in the room and read them to the baby."

"That's a good idea." He said to her.

"Oh someone is at the door." AJ said hearing the door knock. She peeked through the peephole and smiled. "It's Shawn." She said opening the door. "His Shawn."

"Hi sweetheart." Shawn smiled and kissed her cheek. "Cheryl wanted me to bring this to you, it's her famous chicken salad."

"Chicken?" She asked stepping backwards and placing her hand over her mouth then ran into the bathroom.

"She's having a bad reaction to chicken." Punk smirked taking the dish from him. "Or should I say the baby is."

"I'll let Cheryl now." Shawn said to him. "I think I got lead on John."

"What do you have?" Punk asked.

"Followed him at 2 in the morning he was leaving the station and headed to that rundown motel April was staying in during the Miller case." Shawn told him.  
"He's hiding someone there, he has an armed guard outside the door."

"Miller?" Punk suggested.

"Possibly." Shawn said to him. "This doesn't look like your average FBI agent." He said passing him his phone where the picture he took last night was.

"Because he's not." Punk said looking at the picture. "He's from Chicago. Used to work for McMahon."

"Cena is in cahoots with Levesque?" Shawn asked him.

"He is." Punk said to him. "He's been working with them all along." he said to Shawn. "We were wondering why he wanted AJ dead and made it so easy for Jake to constantly get to her and now we know why."

"I thought Levesque let this stuff with you go." Shawn whispered in case AJ came out. "He wanted to seem like he was this great guy and wouldn't bring the violence McMahon bought on."

"Doesn't change the fact I still have to pay the piper." Punk said to him. "I'm not in Chicago anymore, I hardly see my family but AJ is the closest person to me. And if Jake had gotten her or John then it would like like it had nothing to do with Levesque."

"It wouldn't be the first time an Agent was bought by the mafia." Shawn noted.

"We've got to get to that motel." Punk said to him.

"Ok I'm better." AJ announced. "Tell Cheryl I'm sorry-"

"Hey want to come down to the police station with us?" Shawn asked with a smile.

"No." She said scrunching her face.

"Just for a little bit." Punk smiled forcefully at her. "We have a few things we have to take care of and I'd rather have you at the police station then sitting here."

"Can I bring Charger?" She asked negotiating.

"Sure. Bring Charger! Bring the baby!" Shawn laughed grabbing her jacket and forcing it on her.

"The baby and I are kind of a package deal." she laughed as Shawn shoved her into her jacket.

"True." Shawn grinned.

"What is going on?" AJ asked. "Is this about Jake?"

"We don't know but while we look into some things can you just hang around the station?" Punk asked her.

"Sure." AJ said to him. "Come on Charge." she said slapping her leg Charger and ran to her.

* * *

AJ was set up at Punk's desk and Charger was laying by her feet.

"Here play on the computer." Punk said turning it on for her.

"I'm not a child." AJ frowned.

"Detective Brooks?" Officer Daniels asked walking over.

"I don't have time." Punk said to him.

"I thought you'd want to know Agent Cena was in your desk last night." Officer Daniels told him.

"What?" Punk asked alarmed.

"Yea it was real late too." the officer told him. "I shooed him off but I think he took something from your bottom desk drawer."

"Thanks." Punk said to him and opened up the drawer.

"Did you have anything in there?" AJ asked him.

"The sonogram picture." He whispered. "It's gone and he took it."

"Is that bad?" AJ asked him.

"The last thing I wanted him to know is that you're pregnant." Punk mumbled. "Fuck."

"What's the big deal?" she asked him.

"He's just the wrong guy to know anything personal about you." Punk insisted. "Don't worry about it though because I plan on talking to him. That's actually where Shawn and I are going."

"Be careful." AJ insisted.

"Careful is my middle name." He teased.

"No it's not it's Jack." she frowned and he laughed.

"Just wait here I won't be long." he said to her.

"Where would I go?" she teased.

"Don't leave this desk." He instructed her. "And if you need anything just ask Officer Daniels."

"What if I have to use the bathroom?" she asked seriously and he let out a frustrated laugh.

"AJ please." He said still forcing a laugh. "I love how challenging and frustrating you can be but not tonight please?"

"I'll behave." She smiled cutely and he kissed her.

"I won't be long." He said to her.

"Bye." she waved as he walked out of the station to meet with Shawn.

"I've been looking for you." John said approaching AJ who seemed stunned to see him walking in from the back of the building.

* * *

Punk and Shawn arrived at the motel and approached the door slowly.

"I don't hear anything." Shawn whispered.

Punk and Shawn moved to either side of the door and Punk knocked twice and stayed hidden off to the side and waited for someone to open the door and when it opened on a crack Punk and Shawn kicked it in and stepped into the room.

"Woah!" a voice shouted as he hit the floor.

"Yup." Punk said looking at him. "Scott Hall."

"Punk, long time." He chuckled.

"Works for Levesque?" Shawn asked him.

"He does." Punk said to him.

"I'm no cop but I'm pretty sure you can't just bust into here." Scott said standing up.

"Where's Jake Miller?" Shawn asked him.

"I don't know who that is." Scott said placing a toothpick into his mouth. "I'm on vacation." he laughed.

"You're on vacation? In the town I live in?" Punk asked him.

"Yea is that a crime Detective?" Scott shrugged leaning against the desk in the room.

"What do you have going on with John Cena?" Shawn asked him.

"Who?" Scott asked innocently.

"We know Cena is working for Levesque, we know he's hiding Jake Miller and we know he's trying to take out April." Shawn told him.

"Whose April?" Scott shrugged. "Oh wait I heard all about that little number your banging. Nash told me all about her tiny little body."

"You can go home to Chicago and tell Levesque I'm we're onto you." Shawn responded before Punk did. "We know he's looking for some kind of revenge against Punk-"

"Did Detective Brooks ever tell you how he shot and killed an innocent unarmed man in Chicago?" Scott asked him. "Staged the scene? Lied under oath and got away with murder?"

"I'm more concerned with what you're doing here." Shawn said to him.

"I'm not the most dangerous criminal in the room." Scott grinned and nodded towards Punk.

"He's on probation." Punk informed Shawn changing the subject. "He crossed state lines."

"That is a reason to arrest you." Shawn grinned pulling out his cuffs.

"Oh come on." Scott laughed.

"Where's John Cena?" Shawn asked him. "What is he up to?"

"I don't know him." Scott said again.

"I've got pictures of him here with you last night." Shawn said to him.

"Well in that case I've got nothing to say without my attorney." Scott shrugged and held out his wrists. "Cuff me."

* * *

Punk and Shawn arrived with a cuffed Scott twenty minutes later.

"Take him somewhere near not near my desk or April." He said to Shawn who nodded.

Punk walked over to his desk and saw AJ wasn't there.

"Hey Daniels where is AJ?" Punk asked the officer.

"She left." he told him.

"What the fuck do you mean she left?" Punk asked him.

"She left with Agent Cena and her dog." Officer Daniels told him.

"You let her leave with him?" Punk hissed pulling out his phone.

"I pulled her aside and told her to stay but she assured me she was fine." Officer Daniels told him.

"She's not answering." Punk snapped into the phone. "Where did he say he was taking her?"

"He didn't." Officer Daniels said to him. "Agent Cena just walked in though." he nodded towards the entrance.

"Hey!" Punk shouted and everyone looked at him. "Where is she?"

"Calm down." John insisted and looked over and saw Scott was standing with Shawn both looking at him.

"No I won't fucking calm down tell me what you did with AJ!" He yelled out.

"I don't know what you're talking about." John said to him and Shawn pulled Scott into an empty room.

"What the fuck do you mean-" Punk began.

"Relax she's fine she's at my place." John whispered to him. "Didn't want Scott to know."

"Where the fuck is she?" Punk demanded.

"I just told you." John said to him.

"I don't believe a fucking word out of your lying mouth." Punk hissed.

"She's at my place I'll take you." John said to him.

"I'm not getting into a car with you." Punk said walking to the door. "If she's not there I'll come back here and shoot you in the head." he threatened.

* * *

When Punk arrived at AJ's old home which was John's current home he heard Charger barking and approached the front door and knocked.

"Phil." AJ greeted opening the door.

"AJ what the fuck?" he asked stepping aside. "I asked you to wait at the station."

"And John told me that you were bringing someone in and I had to hide." AJ said to him.

"See?" John asked walking in behind him.

"I want to know what's going on right now." Punk demanded.

"I think you figured out most of it." John said to him.

"You're owned by Levesque?" Punk asked and John nodded. "You're supposed to take AJ out as some sort of revenge for Shane?"

"What?" AJ asked horrified.

"It's a long story." John said to them.

"That's how Jake Miller kept getting to you." Punk said to her. "It's also why Jake Miller is missing."

"Didn't you pick him up at the motel?" John asked him.

"No." Punk said slowly. "Only Scott was there."

"Oh shit." John said to himself.

"What does that mean?" AJ asked nervously.

"Come on AJ." Punk said grabbing her hand.

"Wait you can't take her." John said grabbing her other hand and now she was in a tug a war with the two.

"Ok." Punk smiled calmly and pulled out his gun and placed it against John's temple but never let got of AJ's hand. "Get your fucking hand off of her."

"Relax ok." John said slowly letting AJ go and stepping back. "I'm not trying to hurt her."

"What the fuck have you been trying to do this entire time?" Punk hissed.

"If you take her back to the police station and Scott see's she fine and alive I'm going to be killed." John said to him.

"That's not my problem." Punk said still pointing his gun at him.

"Phil." AJ scolded.

"It's not." Punk defended to her.

"I had a deadline." John said to him. "I can't kill a pregnant woman."

"But if she wasn't? Would she be dead already?" Punk asked him.

"I don't know." John admitted.

"That's what I thought, go fuck yourself." He said dropping his gun and pulling AJ to the door.

"Phil we need to find out about Jake." AJ reminded him as he dragged her towards the door.

"He's out there." John warned him. "He's out there and some of Levesque's guys too the last place they'll for AJ at is my place."

"She's not staying here." Punk said to him.

"Stay with her." John said to her.

"What did you mean by deadline?" AJ asked him.

"Can you both just sit down so I can explain everything?" John asked them.

"Where's my picture you stole from my desk?" Punk asked him without answering his question.

"Here." John said pulling out the sonogram from his pocket and passing it to him.

"Let's just hear him out." AJ said to him.

"How do I know Jake Miller isn't in this house right now?" Punk asked her.

"He's not I looked around." AJ said to him. "You want to get to the bottom of things don't you? Here's our opportunity."

"I need to get you out of here." he whispered to her.

"You need to know where you can take her." John said to him. "She's got a target on her back thanks to you."

"Don't blame him for this." AJ snapped at John. "He's done nothing wrong."

"Did he tell you about Chicago? His shooting of Shane McMahon?" John asked her.

"I know everything and you have no right to judge him." AJ said to him. "He's been nothing but generous and loving to me."

"You don't have to defend me to some paid out FBI agent." Punk snorted grilling John. "He's a disgrace."

"How am I any different from you?" John asked.

"What did I do to you to deserve this?" AJ asked him. "Did I attack your family? You?"

"No of course not." John said to her.

"The most illegal thing I have ever done in my life was steal a pack of gum from Henry's grocery store and my mom made me return it and apologize." She told him honestly and Punk had to smile at her. "I've never done anything to deserve this."

"It's not about you." John said to her.

"Have I done something to you John boy?" Punk mocked.

"You know what these guys are like." John said to him. "I'm not going through with it."

"But you were going to." Punk pointed out. "You admitted to it."

"Phil where do you think Jake is?" AJ asked looking up at him.

"I don't know Ape, why don't you tell us John?" Punk suggested.

"I thought he'd be at the room that's where he was supposed to be. Obviously Levesque's people let him slip out." John said to him.

"You don't just let a man like Jake Miller 'slip' out." Punk spat.

"He won't look for her here." John insisted.

"You really think I'd ever trust you with her?" Punk asked him. "The minute we walk out of here I'm reporting you so I suggest you start packing."

"I'm not running." John said to him. "I'll be dead before I make it out of state lines."

"Phil I'm feeling sick." AJ whispered to him.

"Can you keep it down for a little?" he asked her and she shook her head 'no' and ran up the stairs to the bathroom. "Oh fuck."

"Morning sickness comes at night, huh?" John asked.

"You think we're going to have a casual conversation like I didn't just find out you were trying to kill my girlfriend?" Punk asked him seriously.

"Levesque got out me out of some trouble on my first case I worked in Chicago." John admitted. "He's got some stuff on me."

"Looks like you're not as squeaky clean as you like people to believe." Punk mocked.

"None of us are perfect." John noted. "If I don't take AJ out-"

"Don't word it like that." Punk said disgusted.

"-someone else is. Which is probably why they Jake go." John told him. "They knew I was chickening out."

"You weren't chickening out when you almost had her head blown off at the hardware shop." Punk said to him.

"I'm glad that didn't go through." John told him.

"You should be because what I did to Shane would be nothing compared to what I'd do to you if you got my pregnant girlfriend killed. Maybe you should stop worrying about what Levesque will do to you and more about what I'm capable of." Punk threatened.

"I know this sounds-" John stopped talking when he heard thump from upstairs.

"AJ!" Punk yelled out running up the stairs.

"I'm ok." AJ said sitting up as Punk walked into the bathroom. "I just got a little lightheaded."

"Take it slow." Punk said helping her sit up.

"It's ok really." She said to him.

"You're pale as a ghost." He noted.

"I keep throwing up everything I try to keep down." She said to him.

"You've been like this since yesterday." He frowned. "Maybe we should get you over to the doctor?"

"Don't be ridiculous pregnant women vomit- it's what they do." She said to him.

"You've been sick and sleeping all day." Punk noted.

"Isn't that normal?" She asked him unsure herself.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"You should take her to the hospital." John said from the doorway.

"So you could send someone there to kill her?" Punk asked briefly looking over his shoulder at John.

"Phil please." She pleaded. "I really don't feel well."

"Ok, ok." He said scooping her up in his arms.

"I'll drive." John said following Punk down the stairs.

"Yea drive right off a bridge." Punk smirked and whistled for Charger. "You just got fucking lucky." He informed John.

"I'm going to find Jake Miller." John told him.

"You're going to be the wanted man the minute I get on the phone with Shawn and my captain." Punk said to him.

"I'm going to right these wrongs." John said following Punk out the door as he rushed AJ to his car.

* * *

An hour later Punk was in the waiting room while AJ was being examined.

"How is she?" Shawn asked him.

"I'm waiting on the doctor I don't think it's too serious." Punk said to him. "Scott say anything?"

"Nope. He's being shipped back to Chicago as we speak." Shawn said taking a seat next to him.

"Cena?" Punk asked.

"It would have been helpful if you would have arrested him on sight." Shawn said to him.

"I was busy with AJ." Punk shrugged.

"Well he's MIA too." Shawn told him. "Him and Miller."

"Fucking brilliant." Punk said to him.

"How do you want to handle this Levesque thing?" Shawn asked him. "You want to go back out to Chicago and talk to him?"

"Nope." Punk said to him. "Hopefully this scares him off for a while."

"Well what happens a year from now when he decides enough time has passed?" Shawn asked him.

"When they get Cena he'll rat on Levesque and that will take care of all of my problems except for Miller." Punk said to him.

"Detective Brooks." Dr. Shapiro greeted.

"Hey how is she?" Punk asked.

"She was a little dehydrated." the doctor told him. "But she's fine. She needs more fluids and I know it's difficult for her to keep stuff done but she has to try."

"Can I see her?" Punk asked.

"Yea she's just getting dressed." Dr. Shapiro told him.

Punk walked into the hospital room and saw AJ buttoning her jeans.

"You ok?" Punk asked.

"Yea just tired." she said to him. "Phil I don't have the energy to run from Jake."

"We have to do what we have to do." He insisted. "John and Jake are both out there and I'm just hoping they both kill each other."

"So what do we do tonight?" she asked him sitting on the cot. "Do we go home?"

"No." He admitted.

"Do we go back to John's?" she asked him.

"Hell no." Punk scoffed.

"The motel?" She asked with a frown.

"Maybe." He said to her. "Come on cheer up it will be like the old days." he smiled but she didn't. "It's ok AJ."

"I'm really tired of this Phil." She sniffled.

"Hey it's not all that bad." Punk assured her. "Remember the good that came from the first time Jake came back?" he asked her.

"Yea but I don't think I'll fall in love and get pregnant by another man." she teased as she still cried.

"That's not funny." He said laughing.

"What if this Levesque guy gets me?" AJ asked him.

"That pussy won't do a thing now that there is all this police attention." Punk said to her. "This is nothing AJ."

"You'll be with me right?" she asked him.

"When am I not?" he asked with a smirk.

"Ok let's go." she said as he helped her up.

"First we'll stop at the station and get you some food and Gatarode." he said to her. "Then we'll talk to Shawn and the Captain and we'll figure out our next step, ok?"

"Ok." She smiled trusting him completely.

"I'm really sorry about this." he said before they left the room.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked him.

"Didn't you hear John? This is because of me." He pointed out.

"It's been worth it." She smiled giving him a kiss.


	25. Piece of Mind

**Piece of Mind**

* * *

 _ **12 weeks pregnant**_

Three weeks had passed and not a word or spotting of John Cena or Jake Miller. They were clearly not hiding anywhere in town since not only did the local PD knock on literally every door in town but the FBI was out in full force in town looking for both Cena and Miller. They were not happy about the shady behavior from one of their own and it all scared Levesque and his people who were now being probed by the FBI as well.

"Are you sure this is ok?" AJ asked Punk as they walked back into their apartment with Charger after being in a hotel for 3 weeks.

"They're long gone." Punk told her. "Doesn't mean we're going to stop looking."

"I trust you." She said simply then looked around the apartment and frowned. "Phil our stuff is gone."

"Oh yea I guess it is." Punk said looking around.

"Were we robbed?" She asked him alarmed. "My comics!" she yelled running into the spare room.

"AJ relax." he laughed. "I moved our stuff."

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because we're moving." Punk said to her simply. "We're just here to back some essentials."

"Phil were are we moving?" AJ asked him curiously.

"Your house." He said with a grin.

"How is that even possible?" AJ asked him. "It can't be right."

"Turns out while the Feds were looking for Cena the money he used to buy your house was 'borrowed' from Levesque I'm sure they just wanted him near, the money was pulled the house went back on the market and yours truly snuck in and purchased it." Punk stated proudly.

"Are you kidding?" she asked him.

"It would be a pretty cruel joke wouldn't it?" Punk teased. "Come on our bed and stuff is there plus I went to storage and got some of your old stuff out- "

"Is this for real?" she asked crying, crying was something AJ found herself doing a lot. The most famous incident was when Punk ate the last slice of pizza a week ago. She was very, VERY hormonal.

"Yes for real. Thankfully Cena barely moved anything and that's when I started moving stuff in." Punk said to her. "It was a quick process."

"How come you didn't tell me?" She asked him.

"Because I wanted to surprise you, not make you cry." He smirked.

"I'm crying happy tears." she grinned leaning up and kissing him.

* * *

AJ stepped into her home and was thrilled to see it looked pretty much the same. The small rug by the door was back, her living room furniture was back, the kitchen was the same- it was amazing.

"Come upstairs." he said grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs. "Only issue was that our big bed that you insisted we have didn't fit into your old room."  
"It only fit in my mothers room I'm sure." She said standing outside her mom's door.

"I put it in there and set our room up there but if you want it moved I understand." he said to her.

"Let me see." AJ said and Punk opened the door and the room was completely transformed, freshly painted and with her and Punk's furniture from their apartment. He even added a nice chair for the corner of the room and a picture of the two of them on her side of the bed along with a photo of her mother.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I really like it." she smiled. "It's perfect."

"Are you sure? I can change it back and we can get a smaller bed and move across the hall." He offered.

"No this is right." She said to him wit a smile.

"You want to see what I did to your old room?" he asked her.

"How did you get all of this done?" AJ asked him. "Were you not at the police station when you said you were going?"

"Well in all fairness I had help." Punk said stopping outside her old room. "Shawn, his sons, a few guys from the station."

"Let me see the room. That's the baby's room right?" she asked him.

"It's not much because we're still not sure what we're having." he warned her.

"Just open it." She grinned bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The room was painted a light gray which would be fine for either a boy or a girl and there was only a large reclining chair in the corner and a changing table in the room. There was a lot of room for toys, crib and more.

"The chair is for those late nights." Punk smirked. "Didn't want to pick a crib without you and the changing table is from Shawn and Cheryl. They used it for all of their kids and say it's good luck if you believe in that."

"I remember it." AJ said running her hands over the wooden table.

"We're also going to get something smaller for our room." He told her. "But it's still really early."

"It is but this is going to be perfect." She said to him. "Do you think we could put carpet down in here?" she asked looking at the wood floor.

"Yea of course." he said to her. "I was thinking the same thing."

"And we can paint the walls something that doesn't remind me of a hospital?" she asked.

"It's just a base coat." He smirked. "Whatever you want to do."

"I do like the chair a lot." AJ grinned falling into the comfortable chair and placing her hands on her stomach.

"You're starting to show." Punk said nodding towards her small bump.

"I know I realized it this morning when I couldn't get my jeans on a few days ago." She smirked. "I can't believe I'm home again."

"I promised you, didn't I?" he asked her.

"You did." She had to agree. "You haven't let me down yet."

"Why do you seem so hesitant?" Punk asked leaning in the doorway.

"It's just all too good to be true." she said to him. "I mean after Jake was arrested the first time I still lived in constant fear and just waited for the day for him to finish what he started."

"He's not getting in this house." Punk said to her. "Not only am I getting all new locks put in and a great big fence for the yard-"

"A fence?" she frowned.

"Yes AJ because we're going to have a baby and I don't want the baby running off." He smirked. "Also this way Charger can spend more time outside and it's ten times safer. I promise you'll love it."

"I trust you." She smiled.

"Ok so big fence and state of the art alarm system for inside the house." he said to her.

"What about the windows in here? We're going to get them child proofed right?" she asked him.

"That I can do myself." Punk said to her and she smirked. "What? I can do it myself I'm very handy."

"You couldn't even fix my coffee pot." she snorted.

"Give me some credit here." He laughed. "I'll take care of everything but like I said we have plenty of time."

"I can't believe you bought this house." she said to him. "I always wanted my children to grow up here despite what happened because my mom made this the happiest place for me regardless."

"I know and I know how important it was to you. Your dad tried to buy back the house, thought you should know that." Punk said to her. "I don't think he's pleased he lost to me."

"Does he know?" she asked.

"I think so." Punk said to her.

"This will be the first place Jake looks for me though." AJ noted.

"Stop thinking about him." Punk said to her. "Trust me this town is on FBI lock down it's the safest it's been in years."

"What do you think happened to John?" She asked him.

"Hopefully got killed by Jake." Punk said bluntly and AJ glared at him. "He's a marked man AJ he's wanted by the FBI, Levesque, this department and probably Jake Miller- he's not coming back so stop worrying about all of this." he said to her.

* * *

 _ **16 weeks pregnant**_

The house was finally done. They added new furniture, pictures on the wall and worked on the baby nursery. Punk was back at work and so was AJ who still insisted on working. Even though the house was back her allowance from her father was still gone and she didn't feel right asking Punk for money when they weren't even married.

"Hey is Detective Brooks around?" AJ asked the officer at the front desk.

"Him and Detective Michaels are interviewing a suspect but you can have a seat at his desk." the officer told her.

AJ sat at his desk and twirled in the chair slightly and looked around the quiet station. Things were really back to normal in town and now she was just focused on preparing for the baby. Her cell phone rang and she smiled when she saw the name on it.

"Hi Roe." AJ greeted Punk's mother who literally called her twice a day to check in on her and AJ always had a ton of questions and she was so helpful. "Nope no kicking yet just fluttering still." she told her. "No he hasn't baby proofed yet but I don't think he even knows how to." AJ didn't realize Punk was standing over her now.

"Who is that?" Punk asked her.

"It's your mother." She mouthed to him.

"Give it." He said holding out his hand.

"She called to talk to me." AJ said to him annoyed. "I have baby questions."

"Oh ok." Punk said to her with a roll of his eyes.

"She's at your desk more than you are." Shawn teased settling into his chair.

"So sex is really ok?" AJ asked loudly and Punk's face dropped as Shawn held back a laugh. "No we have, it's just a few weeks after I got sick he's been such a prude around me."

"Jesus AJ really? That's my mother." Punk hissed at her.

"I know and I keep telling him that Roe..." AJ trailed off ignoring him. "...soon I'll be too big and then he'll want sex and be so disgusted by me that he'll find it with another woman!"

"AJ!" Punk snapped.

"Your mom wants to talk to you." AJ said holding the phone out to him.

"I'm going to kill you." He mouthed to her. "Hey Ma." He greeted walking off with the phone.

"You're driving him nuts." Shawn laughed.

"It's a gift." AJ shrugged with a smile.

"Getting excited huh?" Shawn asked nodding towards her still small bump.

"I am." She admitted. "I just wish my mom was here."

"Oh she's here." Shawn said without hesitation. "She's keeping you and that baby safe."

"Really I thought that was Phil." She teased.

"How do you think he got here?" Shawn smirked. "You know I believe everything happens for a reason."

"So there hasn't been anything on Jake or John?" AJ asked him.

"Nah." Shawn said to her. "A lot of people are starting to believe that Levesque took them both out so they wouldn't talk."

"That would make sense." AJ said to him.

"I don't now how much Punk believes it but the more time that passes the more likely it seems." Shawn said to her.

"Did you really call my mother to talk about sex?" Punk asked passing her back her phone.

"Phil I have needs." AJ said simply. "You wouldn't listen to me or the doctors so I thought your mother could help."

"Here's a tip honey having my mother tell me to have sex with you isn't going to get you laid." He smirked.

"I'm a Christian over here." Shawn pointed out with a laugh.

"Sorry." both Punk and AJ mumbled. "What are you doing here anyway?" Punk asked AJ as he pulled a chair over so he could sit at his own desk.

"I got off work early and you had the car so I walked over here." she said to him.

"I'll give you a ride home." He said to him.

"Take the rest of the day." Shawn insisted. "I'll finish up here."

"Are you sure?" Punk asked him.

"Yea I just have to finish the paperwork." Shawn assured him. "Have a good night."

"Can we go out to dinner?" AJ asked standing up. "My treat."

"Sure." he smirked

"Vicki's?" She suggested.

"Is there anywhere else?" He mocked.

* * *

Punk and AJ were both waiting for their food while AJ looked at baby cribs online to order.

"What about this one?" she asked passing him his phone.

"That one is ok." Punk said to her. "What about this one?" he asked showing her a different one.

"Whatever you want." AJ shrugged.

"What's wrong Ape?" he asked folding his hands and leaning over the table.

"It's nothing." She shrugged mixing her water and ice with her straw.

"It's obviously something." He said to her. "Are you going to make me interrogate you?"

"No." She said with a faint smile.

"Seriously what's wrong with you?" he asked her.

"If I wasn't pregnant would you still be with me?" she asked him.

"What? Of course." He said to her.

"I feel like our entire relationship is consumed by the baby and don't get me wrong it's great and all but our entire lives are going to be consumed by the baby and I kind of want us time." she said to him.

"The sex thing makes me nervous since you've been so weak." He admitted.

"I'm not though anymore." She assured him. "I'm passed that stage and now I'm in the new stage."

"What's the new stage?" he asked her.

"The horny stage." She said bluntly and Punk looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"We'll have sex ok?" He whispered. "You've already ratted on me to my mom about it."

"I don't want you to do it because you feel forced into it I want you to want me like you used to." she said to him. "When we first met you couldn't keep your hands off of me and now you barely kiss me."

"We've been busy and like I said you've been tired and fainting all over the place since you got pregnant if I start kissing you I won't be able to stop." he said to her.

"Is it because I put on weight?" she asked him.

"Of course not." He said to her. "You're gorgeous."

"My boobs have even gotten bigger! See?" She said pulling her shirt down slightly.

"Yes I see and so does everyone else here." He said to her.

"I thought that was you." Nick greeted walking over to the table.

"Nick." AJ smiled. "It's been a long time."

"Yes it has, Detective." He greeted Punk who just gave AJ's ex an annoyed head nod. "AJ you look fantastic there's definitely something different about you and I'm not just talking about that great hair cut you got."

"You noticed." AJ blushed running her hands through her slightly shorter hair that Punk clearly never noticed.

"You put on a little weight and I'm not knocking you, you look absolutely ravishing." Nick smiled telling AJ all of the things she wanted to hear.

"That's really sweet." AJ smiled.

"She put on weight because she's pregnant- with my kid." Punk informed Nick annoyed.

"Oh." Nick said with a nervous smile. "That's great, congrats."

"Thank you Nick." AJ smiled.

"I'll uh- see you around." Nick said quickly and walked off.

"Why did you do that?" AJ asked Punk.

"Why were you letting him hit on you like that?" Punk asked back.

"He was just saying nice things it's nice to hear once in a while." she said folding her arms. "Saying things like that to me goes a long way."

* * *

Late that night AJ was in bed already when Punk came out of the shower and let out a defeated sigh as he got into the bed.

"Ape." he said shaking her shoulder.

"I'm awake." She said looking at the wall.

"Could you turn and look at me?" Punk asked her and she reluctantly turned around to face him. "I get it ok? I've neglected our relationship and you in particular."

"You've been great to me, getting me back my home and helping with everything I just miss our connection." She frowned.

"Or is this because of something else?" he asked her.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Are you upset because I haven't proposed or something?" he asked her nervously.

"No." She said to him. "I like where we are- or at least I did. Besides if I'm feeling this way the last thing I want is to get married."

"Ouch." He remarked coldly.

"I just want to go back to normal." She said to him. "I want you to touch me and be with me. Sex isn't everything but it's important and it makes me feel attractive and wanted and it makes me think I'm contributing to this relationship."

"You're the one carrying the baby so your contribution is the most important." he smirked. "I told you I've just been nervous I don't want to make you or the baby sick."

"The baby and I are a lot stronger." She said to him. "So now I think it's because you're sick of me."

"Trust me if I was sick of you I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't leave work early whenever I could to just come home to you." He said to her. "I have been really  
busy trying to get this place together for you as well."

"I know." She sighed. "I just don't want you to get bored and leave."

"Bored? You think you bore me?" He laughed.

"I'm pretty boring." she said seriously and he let out a laugh.

"You are anything but boring." Punk grinned. "You are the most exciting person that I know."

"Not really. Exciting and scary things just happen to me." she corrected.

"No way. You own every comic book that I do, you're exciting." He laughed. "And beautiful." he added kissing her. "And smart." he added with another kiss. "And brave." another kiss.

When the kiss began to deepen AJ pulled away and looked at him carefully.

"Really?" he asked annoyed.

"Are we going to have sex because you want me or because you feel pressured into it?" she asked him and he rolled his eyes.

"What do you think?" he asked grabbing her hand and placing it against his hardening member. "I love you." he told her honestly. "You and the baby are my life now."

"So even if I don't look the same after the baby you'll still love me?" she asked him.

"I'd love you just as much if not more." he said to her seriously.

AJ grabbed his face and rolled onto him as she kissed him. Punk made quick work of stripping her and she returned the favor as she ripped away at his clothes. They kissed for what felt like hours as she ran her body up and down his stomach and his hands pinched and grabbed anywhere he could.

"I really have missed this." He said to her.

"I've missed having you like this." she smiled kissing him again. "Pretty soon I'll be too big for this." She smirked and adjusted herself so her back was to him.

Punk laid back and watched as AJ laid her body forward and stroked him. She began to suck on him a bit and her ass was right in his face. He ran his hands over her rear and placed kissed there as she continued to play with him.

"Uh babe." He warned and she lifted her head and looked over her shoulder to look at him. "You're gonna have to stop that if you want anything out of this night."

"I was just getting to the good part." she frowned.

"Really?" He mocked.

AJ lifted her hips and with her back still towards him slid onto him so she was reverse straddling him. AJ began to rise and fall over her all the while making the sweetest sounds, it had been a long time for both of them. Punk sat up and wrapped his arm around her waist and laid back so she was laying across his body and lifted his hips into her so she can relax and he could do most of the work for her. Punk's hand that was at her stomach moved south and began to massage her in her sensitive nub while moving his hips rapidly.

"Oh fuck." she groaned feeling herself cum already.

"Sensitive huh?" he asked in her ear and she just nodded.

"Keep going." She encouraged.

Punk kept moving but slowed his pace as he continued to gently massage her. Her head rested against his chest and she had the cutest smile on her face. Punk moved into her and played with her for a longer period of time until she came again and he finally gave into his own release as well.

"That was good." Punk admitted feeling a weight lifted off him as he basked in the afterglow of great sex. "Let's make a pact to not go this long ever again." he said but when she didn't respond and when he turned his head he saw she was already sleeping and snoring lightly. He had to let out a small laugh as he rolled onto his side and kissed her cheek before fully covering her with the blankets.

* * *

 _ **18 weeks pregnant**_

"I have to leave early today." Punk told Shawn the minute he entered the station.

"Something going on?" Shawn asked.

"AJ has a doctors appointment." Punk said to him.

"How is she feeling?" Shawn asked him.

"Well she eats like animal and still barely looks pregnant. Is that even normal?" Punk asked him.

"Some women carry small, Cheryl carried big but my sister only looked pregnant in the 8th month. AJ is already tiny." Shawn said to him.

"Well it's a big appointment because I want to make sure she's really eating right also we might find the sex of the baby." Punk told him and Shawn smiled wide.

"So you two want to know?" Shawn asked him.

"AJ is the most impatient woman I have ever met in my entire life and she's busting to know for sure." Punk said to him. "She keeps googling ways to figure it out without a doctor, if you're carrying high the myth is it's a girl."

"She is carrying high." Shawn noted.

"But then she has other symptoms of a boy." Punk added. "She's going nuts."

"Maybe twins." Shawn laughed.

"If she is having twins in there then we have a problem because she's so small." Punk said to him. "She's excited to find out."

"What about you?" Shawn asked.

"I want a healthy kid." Punk shrugged. "And I may or may not be a little excited."

"Do you have any thoughts? Any guesses?" Shawn asked casually.

"Why?" Punk asked warily.

"There may or may not be a bet going around at the station on whether you're having a boy or a girl." Shawn said to him.

"Are you kidding me? You guys have nothing better to do?" Punk asked him.

"No." Shawn said simply.

"What's winning?" Punk asked him.

"Boy by a landslide but you keep referring to the baby as 'her'." Shawn said to him. "So that's where I dropped my fifty."

"Fifty bucks?" Punk asked.

"We're not big into football here." Shawn shrugged.

"Here." Punk said reaching into his wallet. "Put a $100 on girl."

"I picked the right gender." Shawn said happily taking the $100.

"So now that you're inching closer how nervous are you?" Shawn asked.

"You know what? Not at all." Punk said to him.

"Really? I remember freaking out when Cheryl was carrying Becky. Would she hate me? Would I be able to keep her safe? Would she meet a terrible man and replace me with him?" Shawn said remembering it.

"Thanks for all those fun questions." Punk said annoyed. "I will tell you this, the longer Jake Miller is gone I wonder if my kid is ever going to have a run in with him or if I have a daughter will she have the same issues as AJ did?"

"April didn't have a father." Shawn pointed to him. "I'm not saying if Robert actually took an interest AJ the Miller incident wouldn't have happened but I do wonder how it would have played it out differently."

"I've thought about it too." Punk admitted. "It's a shame. When really Robert getting the RO against Jake is what really set him off to begin with."

"Again not saying he was wrong." Shawn added. "And April's mother did a fantastic job raising her but maybe if she had a present father Jake Miller wouldn't have gotten as far as he did and I have a strong feeling that if it was your daughter you would have ended Jake Miller before he sniffed her hair the first time."

"You're not wrong." Punk admitted quietly.

"But hey, go back to being positive and happy!" Shawn laughed.

"You just put all of this terrible stuff in my head!" Punk argued.

"Detectives!" Officer Daniels yelled dramatically racing towards them from across the station, even tripping and dropping his paperwork but picking himself back up and running towards them.

"Woah there." Shawn chuckled. "Something you want to tell us Daniels?" he teased.

"Jake Miller." He stated out of breath.

"What about him?" Punk asked.

"I just got a call from Glenda on Howser street- she saw him!" he shouted.

"He's on the street?" Punk asked standing up as did Shawn.

"He was in a car and stopped at the stop sign to let her pass." Daniels told them. "He was heading east on Brunsiwick ave."

"Get everyone on it." Shawn ordered as he and Punk raced out of the station.

"I've got to get to AJ." Punk told him as it hit him the first place he'd go would be to AJ.

"She's home?" Shawn asked getting into the car.

"No work." Punk said to him. "You hit the street and I'll go get her."

"Alright call me when you've secured her." Shawn said to him.

* * *

Punk opened the door to the hardware shop that wasn't locked and panicked when he didn't see AJ.

"AJ!" He yelled out but the story was completely empty. He saw her purse and phone behind the counter and made his way towards the bathroom and saw it was empty as well. "Oh my god." he muttered as his shaking hand reached into to his pocket and called Shawn. "She's not here. Her stuff is here- but she's not- he got her!"

* * *

AJ slowly came to and she realized she was tied to a chair with something around her mouth to keep her quiet. Her head was spinning and she felt like vomiting as she tried to remember what happened.

"You're ok." A voice assured her.

AJ's eyes slowly moved across the room and there was Agent John Cena giving her a serious, yet concerned face.

"Everything is going to be ok." John promised not moving from the dark corner of the room he was in.


	26. Pieces

**Pieces**

* * *

AJ was looking fearfully at John and crying quietly since she was still gagged. John didn't saw a word and just watched her with almost sympathetic eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you." John assured her quietly and she just cried and looked down and saw her feet were also tied to the chair she was in.

"AJ please." He sighed standing up and walked towards her.

AJ froze and flinched when John approached her. He moved his hands to the cloth wrapped around her mouth and looked down at her.

"Don't scream. If you scream I'm going to put this back on you." He warned her. "You're going to be quiet aren't you?" she just nodded fearfully.

John slowly untied the cloth and AJ let out a breath as she watched John move around the room carefully.

"Just so you know when Phil finds my body he'll kill you." AJ threatened and John eyed her like she was crazy.

"AJ-" he began.

"He will." She warned him sternly. "You won't just being killing his girlfriend but also his child." she sobbed. "He will kill you and make it painful!"

"Shhh." John hissed and the door opened.

"Everything ok Agent?" a man in a suit asked, also sporting a badge.

"Yea, yea we're good." John told him and waved him out. "AJ you have it all wrong."

"What the hell is going on?" AJ demanded.

"After the last time I saw you I turned myself into the Feds." John informed her.

"No way." She said shaking her head.

"Yes way." He insisted. "I've been working with the Feds on tracking Jake Miller and burying the Levesque family. I've spent the last few months with the Levesque's tracking Jake Miller all the while reporting back to the Feds."

"What?" She asked in shocked.

"Paul Levesque wanted Jake Miller silenced since Jake was being protected by Levesque when I got him out of the hospital." John began. "Jake has the power of burying the entire family unfortunately for Levesque, Miller could care less about his organization we both know what Jake really wants."

"Me." AJ answered and John nodded.

"I tracked Jake to New York and then he headed back into different parts of Jersey." John told her. "He has been very difficult to find but I've been on him thanks to Levesque who clearly has eyes and ears everywhere."

"So you were using the Levesque's to help you find Jake?" AJ asked him and he nodded.

"Exactly." he said to her. "I was 'undercover' so to speak."

"And you're working with the FBI again? After everything?" she asked him.

"I'm going to do my time." John said to her. "I want to. Obviously I got a lighter deal and once this is all over my badge is gone at least for the time being."

"You're only get suspended for what you did?" AJ asked him.

"Bringing down one of the biggest crime family's and the most disgusting serial killers of our time has some perks." John said to her. "I did make sure you got your house back."

"That was you?" she asked him.

"I pulled some strings made the money look dirty had the Feds tell Punk." John said to her. "It was sort of a piece offering."

"Why am I tied to a chair?" AJ asked him. "I'm very pregnant and uncomfortable."

"I didn't want you running off or worse, attacking me." He admitted honestly.

"Why am I even here?" She asked him.

"Jake Miller is back in town and he's looking for you." John told her. "I got the tip last night and had to move fast."

"You knocked me out?" she asked not remembering.

"Chloroformed and don't worry it won't hurt the baby." He promised.

"I need to talk to Phil." AJ said to him.

"No." John said simply.

"He's going to freak out." AJ warned him.

"When Punk knew you were with the FBI before he found you regardless and it drew attention to where you were." John told her.

"No you drew attention to where I was by being a rat." AJ reminded him coldly.

"He knows Jake is back in town." John informed her. "He needs to find Jake not you."

"He won't be thinking clearly." AJ argued shaking her head. "He'll be thinking about me and the baby and he'll get hurt."

"No he'll be determined." John said to her. "I also can't risk Punk letting slip that I have any part of this. We still haven't arrested Levesque."

"He's going to think Jake killed me." She argued. "You can't let him think that!"

"This is another reason you're in the chair." John said to her.

"You know I'll run right to him." She said to him and again he nodded.

"I'm not going to lie to you AJ you're still in town, he's still close but for the sake of Punk and your child you need to be patient and cooperate with us." John said to her.

"I want a different agent." AJ said looking away.

"I understand that." John said to her.

"I also have to use the bathroom." She added. "And if you're going to keep me tied up like a criminal be prepared to untie me a lot because the baby is laying on my bladder."

"We're going to untie you because you're not going anywhere." he said to her. "No windows in the room and the bathroom has no window either."

"I'm the victim yet I'm imprisoned." She scoffed.

"It'll be over by the end of the night." John promised her.

* * *

Punk was still at the hardware shop and Heath the owner and a few uniformed officers were there as well.

"I put a camera in after April was held up the first time." Heath said rewinding the footage on the small screen.

"Just speed it up." Punk insisted. "We don't have time."

"Is it true Jake Miller is back?" Heath asked him.

"I'm running out of time and patience." Punk warned Heath as he ignored his question.

"Here." Heath hit play and Punk narrowed his eyes at the small screen.

It wasn't the best footage but a man walked into the shop while AJ was in the back and he was wearing a baseball cap and hiding his face from the camera the entire time. Just by the build and height Punk knew it wasn't Jake. Jake was over 6ft tall and this man was barely that and was bulkier while Jake was paper thin.

"It wasn't him." Punk muttered as he watched the man hide down the aisle and surprised AJ from behind with a rag over her mouth and she fell into his arms. "Woah, woah rewind and pause it." Punk said catching a glimpse of the face.

In the briefest of seconds the man in the cap looked directly at the camera and even though it was grainy Punk would recognize John Cena anywhere.

"Son of a bitch." he whispered.

"Is that Johnny Cena?" Heath asked him.

"Sure looks like it." Punk said to him.

"He carried her out the backdoor I don't have any cameras there." Heath told him.

"Thanks." Punk said to him.

* * *

Punk was back at the station as was Shawn who was making calls and trying to follow up on Jake Miller leads.

"John is working with Miller!" Punk hissed. "He carried AJ right out of the shop."

"Well what the hell is Jake Miller doing running around town than? What is he looking for?" Shawn asked him.

"I thought you heard from one of your guys that Levesque took both of them out." Punk argued.

"I heard wrong clearly." Shawn said to him simply.

"How are you not freaking out?" Punk asked with a frustrated laugh. "AJ is missing!"

"There's a lot going on Punk." Shawn reminded him. "One task at a time-"

"AJ is priority." Punk argued.

"I know but finding Jake will help us." Shawn said to him.

"No, finding John will fucking help us since he's the one who knocked her out and dragged her out of her job!" Punk yelled.

"Did you get a look at what John was driving?" Shawn asked him.

"No." Punk told him.

"Has anyone seen him?" Shawn asked him.

"No and I asked every shop and house the area." Punk said to him. "He was wearing a cap it would be hard to recognize him. Maybe we should check out the motel." He suggested.

"Already went there and two uniformed officers are sitting on the place as well." Shawn told him.

"Where's the FBI?" Punk asked him. "The two guys they've been looking for for months are here in town and we could use the backup."

"They're in route probably by morning." Shawn told him.

"We don't have that kind of time." Punk argued. "AJ doesn't have that kind of time- my kid doesn't have that kind of time!"

"We'll find her but we can't just walk around the streets screaming out her name." Shawn said to him.

"Detective Brooks there's activity at your house." Officer Daniels shouted as he pressed a phone to his ear. "Your alarm is going off."

"This seems almost too easy." Shawn said grabbing his gun as he followed Punk out of the station.

* * *

Punk, Shawn and a swarm of other officers arrived at his place. Half entered through the backdoor and Punk, Shawn and a few others entered through the front door. Punk crept up the stairs and heard noise coming from AJ's old bedroom that was now the nursery that was very slowly being put together. Punk pushed the door open and there was Jake Miller sitting in the reclining chair.

"She's having a baby?" Jake asked sadly looking up at Punk. Punk didn't lower his gun because Jake may have looked sad and broken but he was clutching a huge butcher knife.

"She is." Punk confirmed.

"With you?" Jake asked and Punk nodded. "I thought it'd be me."

"Why don't you drop that knife and put your hands on the top of your head because you have nowhere to run." Punk informed him holding the gun tightly and willing to shoot.

"Where is she? I have to see her." Jake told him looking up at Punk with tears in his eyes.

"She's not here." Punk said to him.

"Did he get her?" Jake asked him.

"Who?" Punk asked.

"They're going to get you." Jake told him. "And to get you they'll go threw her to do so. She's going to die regardless."  
"What do you know?" Punk asked him.

"Nothing that I plan on sharing." Jake said simply. "You have it all and I want it."

"We can talk about it down at the station." Punk said to him.

"Ok." Jake said not making a move to get up from the chair.

"Are you really going to make this difficult?" Punk asked him.

"No." Jake said slowly standing.

"Drop the knife." He said nodding towards the weapon in his left hand. "I will shoot you."

"Sure thing Phillip." Jake said dropping the knife.

Punk made the mistake of watching the knife drop and taking his eyes off of Jake for those few seconds because in a flash Punk heard a sound and a burning sensation in his stomach. He looked down and saw blood on his shirt and realized he had been shot. Ten years as a cop and he had never been shot. Punk fell back to the floor and more shots rang out.

"Don't move." he hears Shawn say as he pressed his palms to Punk's wound.

"It doesn't even hurt." Punk said to him and Shawn's face dropped.

"Get me a bus!" Shawn shouted back at the officers. "Don't move."

"I need to find AJ." Punk said to him. "Ask Miller."

"He's not much help anymore." Shawn said looking over to the man who was sure was dead. His eyes were wide, his chest wasn't moving and he had bullet hole in his head.

"He knows stuff." Punk insisted.

"Ok I'll talk to him just relax." Shawn said to him.

"You'll look for her right?" Punk asked.

"Promise." Shawn said to him and with that Punk closed his eyes.

* * *

AJ was playing with a hand held video game given to her by one of the Agents since she had nothing to do. She was untied from the chair and given food and drinks as well but she wasn't being very nice. She was hormonal, tired and wanted to go home or at least call Phil.

"Good news." John announced walking into her room.

"You've been fired?" she asked with a smile.

"Cute." John smirked. "But no Jake Miller is dead."

"Seriously?" AJ asked him and he nodded.

"Shot and killed by Shawn." John told her.

"Oh thank god." She said relieved. "I can go now, right?"

"Yea about that-" he started.

"You will not keep me here any longer." She warned him. "You have no legal right!"

"You can go April." John assured her then frowned. "But there's something you should know."

"You can tell me everything after I speak to Phil." She said to him and held her phone out. "Give me my phone."

"April he's in the hospital." John told her.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Jake shot him." John informed her and she almost fell to the floor but he caught her. "He's alive, he's in surgery."

"He was shot?" She asked horrified.

"I'll take you to the hospital. His mother is already on the way." John told her.

"Is he-" AJ started as John helped her out of the room.

"He's alive right now." John told her.

"Right now?" She asked horrified.

"For right now yes." John said to her. "Come on."

* * *

When AJ arrived at the hospital she sat with a clearly traumatized Shawn who was still covered in his partners blood. His mother hadn't arrived yet and the clock was moving very slow. It seems like time was moving backwards as AJ waited to hear from the doctor. But as the hours passed and no word AJ grew more and more anxious until finally the doctor walked over to her and Shawn and informed her gently that Punk did not make it through surgery...


	27. One year and five months

**One year and five months**

* * *

One year and five months since Punk had been killed at the hands of Jake Miller and the pain weighed on her everyday, everyday she looked her daughter she saw Punk. A man she didn't know for too long but ended being her hero by taking Jake Miller out of her life for good and giving her the best gift she could ever ask for- Catalina, her daughter. After that terrible night everything went back to normal, Jake was gone, the Levesque family had no further need to bother her with Punk dead and John was gone for good. Now it was just her and Catalina. With all the loss AJ had suffered over her life you'd think loosing Punk would cripple her and it would have had not been for her daughter.

AJ never went back home after Punk's life had been taken in their child's nursery instead she picked up and moved to Chicago to be closer to Roe and his sisters because she knew she'd need their support the most. None of them had the heart to sell Punk's place and everything he had went to Catalina without disagreement from his family so AJ moved into his penthouse. Living in Chicago terrified her and she wasn't sure Punk would be happy with that but she felt closest to him there. And to be honest his family had been a life savor, when Catalina first came home Roe moved in temporarily and helped AJ the first couple of months until she got the hang of everything and even know his mother and sisters were always around checking in and watching Catalina while she worked.

"Look what grandma got you." Roe grinned leaning over Catalina who was sitting on a play mat. "A new dress for your first birthday party."

"It's beautiful." AJ smiled admiring the green dress.

"It goes with her complexion perfectly." Roe insisted.

"Right." AJ laughed. "Are you sure you don't mind sitting with her tonight? I wouldn't go in but they called and begged me."

"It's not problem April." Roe insisted lifting Catalina into her arms.

"Da-da." Catalina smiled.

"I think she thinks I'm her dad." Roe laughed.

"That's her favorite word." AJ sighed.

"You know you don't have to work this." Roe said to her. " Phil's money is for you as well he'd want it that way."

"It's for Catalina and who knows what will happen to me one day? I want to make sure she's always taken care of." AJ said to her.

"Don't think that way." Roe sighed sadly. "Are you going to need a ride home or are you driving today? You know I don't like you taking the train this late."  
"I have a ride." AJ said to her.

"Oh your mystery man?" Roe asked with a grin and AJ froze.

"Roe-" AJ started nervously.

"It's ok April. I raised three daughters I know when someone is sneaking off with a man." Roe laughed. "And there's nothing wrong with that, Phil would want you to be happy. Are you inviting him to Catalina's birthday party?"

"I don't know. I like the idea of it just being us and Colt. And maybe my father." AJ admitted.

"April you have to live your life." Roe insisted. "And you're a beautiful young woman and your daughter deserves a strong male figure in her life."

"What if I'm wrong about him? Besides it's only been a few months." AJ said to her. "I'm just not ready to announce anything yet."

"Just think about it." Roe said to her. "I'd love to meet him."

"Right." AJ laughed nervously. "Alright mommy has to go." She said kissing Catalina who was being held in her grandmother's arms. "Be good for grandma."

"She always is." Roe smiled proudly and AJ gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks again Roe." AJ said to her.

"Don't thank me I love spending time with my girl." Roe assured her.

* * *

Close to one in the morning Colt walked into his apartment and saw Seth was sitting at the counter eating cereal.

"What the hell are you still doing up?" Colt asked tossing his badge and gun onto the counter. "It's almost 1."

"He's got a guest with him tonight." Seth remarked eyeing their new roommates room. An recently promoted to Detective.

"He always has a guest with him." Colt said annoyed. "I don't know if I just hate the constant moans or I'm really jealous."

"This is the third night this week." Seth said to him. "Kick his ass out."

"He needs a place." Colt reminded him. "Just be nice to him."

"You're both up." Dean noted stepping out of his bedroom with his jeans undid and no shirt. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

"Yea I can't imagine why." Seth noted sarcastically.

"Too loud for ya?" Dean teased. "Don't worry I'm taking her home in a few minutes."

"She never stays the night huh?" Seth asked. "So I'll assume she's married or a hooker."

"Nah it's not like that." Dean grinned. "She's a good girl."

"So what the hell is she doing with you?" Colt laughed.

"She can't resist my charm." Dean shrugged.

"Dean I can't find my-" AJ froze when her eyes met Colt's. Colt had no idea that his new roommate had been sleeping with his best friends woman.

"AJ?" Colt asked marching towards the room but she closed and locked the door.

"Oh you're fucked up." Seth said to Dean.

"What?" Dean

"You're fucking Punk's girlfriend?" Colt demanded walking towards him.

"I don't know who Punk is." Dean shrugged.

"You know damn well who he is." Colt said to him.

"You introduced us." Dean pointed out.

"Yea when she came by the station with her daughter!" Colt shouted. "I didn't want you to take her clothes off!"

"What's the big deal her boyfriend is dead." Dean shrugged.

"There's a code." Seth said to him. "One I wouldn't even break and I'm a dick."

"I didn't know the guy what I do know is there's a hot Puerto Rican woman who had an itch that needed scratching." Dean said to him.

"No fucking way." Colt laughed bitterly. "You want to stay in our place you end shit with her right now."

"What's the big deal?" Dean asked amused. "She's not attached to anyone is she supposed to be miserable the rest of her life?"

"It's just not right." Colt said to him.

"No what you're saying is right." Dean pointed out putting out his cigarette. "Now you've upset her."

"End it!" Colt warned him and Dean just rolled his eyes.

* * *

Dean knocked on the door and AJ checked to make sure it was him before letting him in.

"Is he mad? He's mad isn't he?" AJ asked terrified.

"He's tired and being dramatic." Dean scoffed. "He's mad at me not you."  
"I knew this was a mistake and we shouldn't have come here." AJ said to him. "And I still can't find my underwear!"

"Relax." Dean laughed grabbing her by the arms. "There's nothing wrong with this."

"Colt seems to think so." AJ noted.

"So? He'll get over it." Dean said to her.

"It's wrong." AJ said as Dean leaned in kissed her.

"But why does it feel so right?" he grinned.

"Dean-" She started as he kissed down her neck. "I have to get home to the baby."

"I thought she had a sitter?" Dean asked as his hands moved to the button down t-shirt that was his and reached her knees since she was wearing it and began to unbutton it.

"She does but I hate being out this late especially when I'm not even working." AJ told him hesistantly.

"You're allowed to have a life and a little fun." Dean reminded her pushing the shirt off of her shoulders and then pushed her onto the bed roughly.

"Dean I really have to go."She sat up but he pushed her against the bed again using his body weight this time. "Colt is right outside and-"

"Shut up." He grinned cupping her jaw roughly. "Just lay back and have a good time, that's what you wanted wasn't it?"

"I should just go." She whispered.

"I think you should wait ten more minutes." he said to her and without AJ even realizing he was inside of her.

"Dean!" she yelled out as he began to move in and out of her slow at first.

"You're not that wet, what's wrong? Colt upset you?" Dean asked mockingly and ran his fingers over her clit and massaged it.

"Dean we shouldn't." She said closing her eyes as he touched her.

"It's a little too late now." Dean chuckled feeling her moisten against his fingers. "That's it baby get wet for me. Don't worry I'll make it fast." he promised her.

"Really fast." She warned him feeling her breathing begin to get heavier.

Dean dropped completely against her body and moved roughly into her as a fast pace.

"Dean that hurts a little." She cried.

"It's ok it'll get better." he promised and placed his hand over her mouth as he continued his same movements.

AJ was groaning and whimpering underneath him as his his hips roughly into her as she thrashed underneath him.

"Better?" He asked after a few minutes and she nodded while he kept his hands over her mouth. "Good girl." he grinned. "You're a very good girl." he cooed as he plowed into her with out a care in the world or to her body.

AJ remained still and thought back to the times she was with Punk who was always so gentle and sensitive to her body. Sex with Dean was good but it didn't compare to Punk. Dean was always rough and she'd wake up with bruises after a long night or a limp but the feeling of pain was better then feeling nothing. Dean by no means was bad in bed but there was an emotional connection that simply didn't exist between them.

Fifteen minutes in Dean finally came and pulled out of her. AJ didn't even care that she never came herself she was just glad it was over so she could go home to her daughter. Dean passed right out after sex and AJ collected her things and quickly got dressed and snuck out of the room.

"Need a ride?" Colt asked waiting for her in the living room.

"Yea." She admitted and he nodded and stood up and walked to the door.

* * *

"I know you're mad." AJ said after five minutes of silence.

"I'm not mad at you." Colt said to her. "But you can do so much better AJ. Punk would hate Dean and he would hate that you were with him." he told her bluntly and AJ immediately burst into tears. "Oh come on don't do that." Colt said feeling bad.

"What if Phil hates me?" AJ asked him crying.

"AJ he's gone." Colt reminded her sadly.

"You don't believe that he's with us somehow?" AJ asked him. "I do."

"He didn't believe in stuff like that." Colt pointed out. "But maybe I'm being dramatic I'm sure Punk just wants you to be happy and if Dean does that for you."

"Sometimes." AJ admitted quietly.

"What do you mean?" Colt asked her.

"When he actually takes me out we have a great time for the most part but he's not like Phil, he's so rough and selfish sometimes." AJ admitted.

"You should dump him then." Colt said simply.

"He helps me forget." AJ confided. "I need that sometimes. Phil is constantly in my mind and for a few hours a week I could use a mental break from it."

"I get it but can't it be someone else?" Colt asked her. "Someone who isn't a cop? Someone who doesn't drink himself to sleep most nights?"

"I'm partial to cops." AJ smirked.

"He's barely a cop." Colt argued. "He's just not good enough for you or Catalina."

"Who is?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know but he's out there." Colt assured her. "A nice doctor or lawyer."

"I've never bought him over." AJ said to him. "I'm not introducing him to Catalina like that yet."

"And why not?" Colt asked. "Is it because you're dating a man that you wouldn't approve of your own daughter of dating?"

"I'm an adult." AJ reminded him. "I can do what I want."

"You just need to be careful because that little girl needs you." Colt reminded her.

"I know. Everything I do in my life is for her but I also need some time out for myself." She told him.

"Fine." Colt said pulling up in front of AJ's place. "Just promise me if he hurts you or you need a quick way out you'll call me."

"Of course." AJ said with a weak smile.

"I mean it. I'm here for you and her." Colt said seriously.

"You've been great." AJ agreed. "But I don't need you to police my personal life."

"He's no good." Colt warned her.

"He's your roommate." AJ said getting out of the car.

"Even Seth hates him." Colt shot at her.

"He's not that bad." AJ forced out knowing it was a lie. "Good night and thanks for the ride."

* * *

The minute AJ stepped into the house Roe was on the couch watching TV.

"Oh you're home late I was starting to worry." Roe said turning off the TV. "Catalina has been sleeping and she should be out the entire-"

Roe stopped talking when AJ broke down into tears and threw her arms around the only mother she had anymore.

"Oh baby, are you ok?" Roe asked holding her tightly.

"I'm just having a long night." She cried against her shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" Roe asked and AJ shook her head 'no'. "Want me to hug you until you stop crying?" and AJ nodded. "I can do that."

* * *

John Cena knocked at the apartment door and kept an eye out as he waited for it to open.

"Great." The voice greeted sarcastically and stepped aside to let him in.

"Good to see you too." John mocked.

"When am I going home?" Punk asked him.

"You're in witness protection-" John began.

"Don't explain this shit to me again." Punk spat. "You said that the Levesque family would kill AJ unless I did this then promised me it would be a few months. It's been over a year."

"I know this and I'm here to tell you it's going down in a week." John told him. "We needed enough on not just Paul and Nash but the entire family. Otherwise you'd come out of hiding and the same thing would happen again."

"I want to see my daughter." Punk told him. "I'm going crazy here."

"Here." John said passing him a photo. "It's from Shawn, he sends his love."

"She's gotten so big." Punk smiled. "She looks like AJ. Her birthday is next week too."

"Yup one years old and you'll be there." John promised him.

"I never thought I'd be trying so hard to get back to Jersey." Punk laughed not able to take his eyes off of the picture.

"About that." John said taking a seat as did Punk at his small kitchen table. "They're not in Jersey."

"What do you mean?" Punk asked.

"April couldn't go back there after you- well you know." John began. "She moved to be closer to your mother."  
"She moved to Chicago?" Punk asked growing angry. "AJ doesn't know anything about living in a City, she's right under the noses of the Levesque's!"

"They have no interest in her with you gone." John assured him. "She's been there since it happened and she's made a good life for herself."

"Is she living with my family?" Punk asked him.

"No." John said and Punk shook his head. "She's living in your old place."

"Alone?" Punk asked.

"She bought Catalina with her." John teased.

"This isn't fucking funny- why didn't you tell me!" He shouted shooting out of his seat.

"Because you'd run right to Chicago and blow this entire thing." John said to him. "We're just dotting I's and crossing our T's so not even you could screw this up now."

"She should be home." Punk said to him. "In that house I busted my ass off of getting back for her! Putting in alarm systems and fences!"

"She seems safe and happy in Chicago." John said to him.

"Have you seen her?" Punk asked.

"No I haven't." John told him. "But she's been checked in on and Shawn keeps in touch with her. She's working, your family spends lots of time with Catalina she seems really happy from what I've been told."

"She's going back to Jersey I don't want my kid raised in that City." Punk said disgusted.

"Maybe she'll be willing to go back knowing she's not alone. She was scared she was having a baby and had no one to help her." John said to him. "Her father tried to get her to go back to LA but she felt more comfortable with your family. Shawn also said she feels closer to you at your place."

"I shouldn't have done this." Punk said to him. "I knew this was a fucking mistake I should have fought to take AJ with me."

"And raise a kid in witness protection? You know that wouldn't be fair to your daughter." John said to him.

"I just want to hold her." Punk said to him.

"Listen to me very carefully." John began. "I gave you this information because you've been patient for the most part and deserve to know. Do not sneak off to see them and blow this in the last few days. A few more days and you'll have them for good."

"I'm not going to blow it." Punk muttered. "I just want to be home with them."

"I know you do." John said to him. "But you've made a pretty decent life for yourself out here."

"Yea Utah is fucking great." He muttered.

"Heard you've had a lady friend over to keep you company nights." John noted.

"Don't you fucking judge me." Punk warned him.

"I'm not." John said to him.

"It's not serious it's just- it's a long time and I'm alone." Punk pointed out.

"I don't blame you. But are you going to be able to pick up and leave without saying goodbye?" John asked him.

"Yea that won't be a problem." Punk said annoyed. "I didn't make relationships here."

"You made friends." John pointed out.

"Again, it gets lonely out here." Punk told him.

"And girlfriend or should I say girlfriends?" John asked.

"Flings." Punk corrected. "I'm not married I didn't break a vow. It's been over a year."

"Just like things have changed for you just keep in mind things may different with April as well." John warned him.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Punk asked him.

"She may have moved on or is trying to." John said to him.

"No she's raising my daughter and working." Punk said to him.

"Shawn mentioned to me that April spoke to Cheryl about a man she's seeing." John said to him and Punk narrowed his eyes.

"That's fine. She's an adult." Punk forced out. "He won't matter once I get back anyway."

"Aren't you worried that maybe this guy is a better fit for her?" John asked.

"Nope." Punk said to him simply. "AJ and I share a bond and a child. I'm going to Chicago once this is over and packing up my family and taking them back to New Jersey."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself." John snorted.

"I am." Punk said to him smugly.

"What if he's a good guy?" John quizzed.

"I don't care if he's a saint." Punk scoffed. "I've missed enough time. I'm going to Chicago the mintue this is done and I'm going to pack up my daughter and girlfriend, bring them home to New Jersey and go back to work."

"That's not how it always works." John pointed out.

"Did you come here to piss me off?" Punk asked him annoyed.

"No I came with good news." John said to him.

"Yea you told me I'd get to see my family finally but they moved on without me, thanks a lot pal." Punk shot at him sarcastically.

"A few more days." John repeated standing up and walking to the door. "I'll be back tomorrow so don't think about sneaking off to Chicago."

"I told you I won't blow it." Punk said to him.

"Have a good night." John said then walked out the door.

Punk walked over to the photo and picked it up. He couldn't help but smile at his almost one year old daughter who he'd finally get to hold after all of this time. She was the reason he stayed this strong and agreed to do any of this to begin with. The bigger picture was what he kept looking towards. He needed the Levesque family gone so his daughter could have a peaceful life. Maybe he was crazy to think he'd show up for AJ and his daughter and things would automatically go back to normal but he had to hope...


	28. Come Back To Me

**Come Back To Me**

* * *

"Wow." AJ smiled walking down the stairs to see the living room completely decorated in superhero decorations for Catalina's first birthday party.

"Looks good doesn't it?" Punk's sister Valarie asked hanging a Birthday sign.

"It's amazing." AJ said in awe of it all. "I'd wake her up right now to see it all but she won't make it through the party then."

"All the food is set up inside." Colt said walking out of the kitchen.

"Let me pay for the food." AJ said reaching for her purse.

"No the party is our treat." Roe scolded her. "It's just a bunch of sub's anyway."

"The best subs out here." Colt corrected.

"Hi Colt." AJ greeted and he just gave her a smile and a nod, things were still awkward since Colt wasn't happy with AJ's choice in boyfriends.

"Colt." Roe warned.

"I didn't say a word." Colt pointed out.

"It's what you're not saying." Roe shot at him.

"It's fine." AJ assured her Roe. "I don't want any tension anyway because Cat is going to want her uncle here."

"I wasn't planning on leaving." Colt said to her.

"I'm going to go finish getting dressed." AJ said running back up the stairs clearly upset by Colt's attitude.

"Why are you making her feel bad?" Valarie asked slapping him upside the head.

"It's not your business." Roe pointed out as well.

"I'm going to look out for my best friends family and Dean sucks." Colt told them.  
"April isn't looking to marry the guy." Valarie argued. "She just needs a night out and a little TLC what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing if she picked a better guy." Colt said simply.

"You'll never like any man she picks." Roe said to him. "This has been very difficult and scary for her she doesn't have a big family or many friends and she's raising a child on her own and adjusting to a new City you need to support her."

"I'm trying." Colt argued.

"No you're not." Valarie scoffed. "And let's be real if it was AJ who died and Punk running around screwing someone you didn't approve of you wouldn't say shit because he's a guy."

"Don't make this a sexist thing." Colt said to her. "This is me trying to protect something that Punk would want protected."

"April seems something good in Dean maybe you should try." Roe said to him. "She can't be alone forever."

"I'm not saying she should be but Dean is just wrong." Colt argued. "He's rough and crude and he's not sensitive enough to be in a relationship let alone around a child."

"Well I convinced April to invite him to the party." Roe told him.

"What?" Colt asked disgusted.

"It's time we met him and let's see how he interacts with Catalina." Roe said to him.

"Bad idea." Colt said her.

"Stop being a dick." Valarie warned him. "Or you don't have to even be here at the party."

"Oh I'll be here." Colt laughed. "I'll be here watching that fucking creep around my niece."

"He's here now." Roe smiled hearing the doorbell ring and walked over to it. There stood Dean holding a bouquet of flowers and wrapped gift.

"You must be Dean." Roe smiled shaking his hands.

"Thank you Mrs-" Dean began.

"Call me Roe." she said quickly pulling him into the house.

"These are for you." Dean said passing Roe the flowers.

"For me?" Roe asked blushing.

"Yes you babysitting has given me a chance to get to know April and I appreciate that." Dean smiled and Colt rolled his eyes.

"Oh anytime." Roe said to him. "These flowers are gorgeous!"

"Hi I'm Valarie." Valarie introduced herself.

"I've heard a lot about you as well it's nice to meet you." Dean smiled. "Where's the birthday girl?"

"She's still sleeping but you can leave the gift on the table over there." Roe pointed.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked passing Colt.

"I'm here to celebrate my niece's birthday. My little niece who I would kill for- her and her mother." Colt remarked casually.

"Right." Dean laughed. "I just meant I thought you'd be in on the big bust."

"What bust?" Colt asked.

"Levesque family, what's ever left of the McMahon family- everyone." Dean said to him. "FBI has been working on it for a year."

"No shit." Colt said stunned.

"Thought you'd want to be there." Dean shrugged. "But you've probably already missed it heard it was going down around this time."

"Dean if you want to see AJ she's upstairs." Roe said pointing to the stairs.

"Yea I think I'll say hello." Dean grinned leaving a stunned Colt.

* * *

AJ was wearing a skirt and was in her bra as she looked in her mirror. Dean was a very rough man and she saw the bruises around her torso where his fingers dug constantly. She also had bruising around her thighs as well. She looked like a victim but she lived with the mind set that Dean wasn't abusive, she trained herself to believe this was what she wanted and deserved.

"Hi beautiful." Dean greeted walking into her bedroom.

"Hey." She said surprised.

"Something wrong?" he asked and tilted his head to see the bruises. "Sorry about that." he laughed.

"It's ok." She smiled nervously.

"You look beautiful." Dean grinned giving her a kiss.

"I'm barely dressed." She blushed.

"I know that's the most beautiful part." Dean said wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Dean no." She said pulling away. "I have to get ready and then get Cat ready."

"You have time. The party doesn't start until 1 and I got here at 11 for this very reason." Dean said to her. "I haven't seen you in two days."

"I've been working." She shrugged reaching for her shirt and Dean grabbed it from her hands and threw it onto the floor.

"You do realize a man has needs don't you?" Dean asked her coming up behind her and whispering into her ear.

"I just showered." She said to him.

"I didn't." Dean said and she turned around to face him and he was already undoing his fly.

"Ok." she whispered sitting on the bed.

AJ stroked him a few times then took him into her mouth. Dean's hands fist in her hair and forced her movements to be fast and deep. AJ found herself gagging half the time and trying to pull away but he kept her in place.

"That's so fucking good." Dean said holding himself deep down her throat. "Take all of me."

Dean's hips moved into her mouth and she as crying and trying not to gag she just wanted it to be over. Dean finally pulled out of her mouth but he wasn't finished. He pushed AJ so she was laying on the bed.

"Dean no!" She yelled.

"Yes." He said ripping her skirt and pushing her panties to the side. "You always say no but your body always says yes." he said massaging her clit and sliding his fingers into her. "You want me as much as I want you- you're wet for me April."

"Please." She cried and he looked at her.

"Please more?" he asked and she couldn't help but nod. Her body wanted him but her heart and head didn't. Being with him confused her to no end. "You want my dick?" he asked her and she nodded.

Dean pulled his fingers out of her and flipped her so she was on her stomach and lifted her hips into the air. He slapped his hand as hard as he could over her right butt cheek causing her to yelp.

"Beg me AJ." He hissed. "I want you on your knees just like this begging for me."

"I want you." She forced out and another hard slap.

"Why don't I think you mean it?" he asked her slapping her again and again.

"Oh stop Dean!" she yelled out.

"You want me to stop?" Dean asked mockingly. "I thought you wanted more?"

"You're really hurting me." She sniffled. This wasn't hot it was painful now. He dropped her hips and rolled her back onto her back.

"Did that hurt?" he asked soothingly and she nodded.

Dean slipped the two fingers that were in her body into her mouth and rolled them around her tongue.

"Maybe I just wont touch you anymore if you can't handle me." Dean said simply. "Is that what you want?" he asked lightly slapping her face. "Huh?" he asked again slapping her face again.

"Dean don't." She said suddenly not liking how rough he was getting.

"Dean don't? Or don't please?" he asked her with a grin.

"Can't you just be gentle?" she asked him.

"Sure baby I can do that." Dean smiled and tenderly kissed her lips.

Dean gently entered her and AJ smiled contently as he moved slowly into her.

"I bet you like that, don't you?" he cooed into her ear while leaving kissed there.

"I really do." She moaned. "That's really good."

"See? I can be sweet." he grinned.

"Thank you." She said with a relieved smile.

"Anything for you babe." he said with half a smirk...

* * *

The party was moving along and nearly over when someone rang the bell. AJ answered the door and was surprised to see her father.

"I didn't think you were coming." AJ said stepping aside to let him in.

"I wasn't going to miss my granddaughters first birthday." Robert said walking in with a big box. "Where is she?"

"She's over there with Roe." AJ pointed.

"How are you doing?" Robert asking kissing AJ's cheek.

"Good." She said to him. "Tired."

"I'm sure you are." Robert frowned. "Have you given any thought about you and Catalina coming out to LA for a week?"

"We're considering it." AJ said to him and he nodded.

"Hi sweetheart!" He grinned waving over to Cat and walking towards her.

"Party has been a big success." Colt said walking over to AJ.

"It has." AJ agreed. "Cat is having a great time."

"You ok?" Colt asked. "You seem upset."

"I just wish Phil was here." she said to him. "Thinking that Cat is never going to meet her father and know what a good man he was just kills me."

"She'll know because you'll tell her, I'll tell her- she'll know." Colt assured her. "And look at that? Your dad made it."

"Never made one of my birthdays but Cat should have a grandfather." AJ noted cleaning up some of the plates.

"Let me help." Colt offered taking them from her and following her into the kitchen. They passed Dean who was walking out with another beer. "What's that? Number 5? 6?"

"I don't keep track of how much people are drinking." AJ said annoyed.

"It's a lot to drink at a one year old's birthday." Colt pointed out.

"Can you lay off it?" AJ asked him. "He's really sweet when he wants to be!"

"What about when he doesn't want to be?" Colt asked her. "I've lived with the guy, I've seen many girls runs out of his room and never look back."

"You just have to get to know him." AJ said to him.

"I know him already." Colt insisted.

"Why are you ruining this day for me?" AJ asked him annoyed. "Why are you so hell bent on making me feel bad and sad? What have I ever done to you?"

"Colt." Roe announced entering the kitchen.

"You know what? Fine." Colt laughed. "I have to get to work anywhere."

"He's just trying to protect you." Roe smiled at her as she helped AJ clean up and Colt stormed out.

"I don't need anyone to protect me." AJ insisted. "I know what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you do." Roe said to her quietly.

"What? I thought you liked Dean." AJ asked her.

"I don't really know him and I'm not going to judge you but honey do you realize you flinch when he moves around you?" Roe asked him.

"I don't do that." she laughed moving around the kitchen.

"You did it three times today." Roe pointed out.

"He's just loud." AJ said to her.

"You can talk to me April." Roe said to her. "I'm not going to judge you."

"That's nice of you but there's nothing to say. He doesn't hit me." AJ laughed.

"Does he yell at you a lot?" Roe asked.

"Never." AJ told her.

"He's a little rough?" Roe asked her.

"A lot of guys are." AJ shrugged. "He's a cop and that's his way of life."

"You never flinched around Phil." Roe reminded her.

"No I didn't." She whispered. "But he's gone and they don't make men like Phil anymore."

"I suppose they don't." Roe said holding back her own tears. "He's at peace April with his parents and sister."

"I know he is." AJ said holding back tears herself now. "I just miss him everyday and everyone says that time heals all wounds but the more time that passes the worse it gets for me. With everything Cat does I think of how Phil would have reacted. Her saying da-da for the first time, standing on her own-"

"I know honey." Roe frowned. "But you have to try to move on."

"That's what I'm trying to do with Dean." AJ argued. "And everyone keeps telling me it's wrong, Colt can barely look at me!"

"It has nothing to do with you moving it's the person you're doing it with." Roe insisted. "But if you can honestly tell me your relationship is healthy then I won't bother you again."

"Thank you." AJ said then walked back into the party never confirming it was a healthy realtionship.

* * *

A few more hours later Catalina was out cold after a day of celebrating and opening gifts. She was lucky to have all the people she did have in her life. Everyone had left for the evening except for Dean.

"Tomorrow night?" Dean asked her.

"I'm having dinner with my father before he leaves town." AJ said as she finished putting away all of the food.

"All night?" Dean asked. "How about I stay tonight?"

"No Catalina is home." AJ smiled and Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzling against her neck.

"She's a baby she won't know." Dean whispered.

"You're been drinking a lot." AJ said to him. "You really should just go home and I'll call you a cab."

"You think I'm a drunk who can't be around your daughter?" Dean asked with a laugh as he pulled away from her.

"I didn't say that." AJ said to him. "But you did drink a lot and I don't want to wake her or upset her."

"What about upsetting me AJ? Do you even care about me?" Dean asked her.

"Of course I do." AJ said to him. "I care a lot about you."

"So let me stay." he said pressing her into the kitchen counter and kissing her but the smell of beer on his breath made her pull away.

"Gross." she said pushing him away from her and passing him.

"You weren't saying that this morning when I was fucking you." Dean laughed following her back into the living room.

"You hadn't consumed a case of beer at that point." AJ argued collecting a few more cups.

"You really think I'm a drunk." Dean said stunned but AJ ignored him. "I'm not good enough for you or your fancy home or kid, am I? That's what Colt has been whispering in your ear all night isn't it?"

"No it's not." She said as she dropped the cups because Dean tugged on her arm so she was facing him.

"This isn't your money, this isn't your family and you are the one who doesn't belong." Dean reminded her. "You're a stuck up little brat from New Jersey so you're not better than me!"

"I never said that!" she yelled back as he held onto her arms. "You're hurting me Dean!" she cried out trying to pull away from him.

"You always say that but you have no idea how badly I could really hurt you." He hissed in her face.

"Now you're scaring me." she admitted. "You need to leave before I call the police."

"I am the police." Dean reminded her and let go of her arms.

"Leave." She demanded walking to the door to open it for him but he grabbed her by the shoulders and hit her into the door a few times.

"I'll leave when I'm good and ready." Dean said to her. "Know your place April. A woman's job is to serve her man and don't forget that."

"Of course it is." AJ said to him then kneed him in the balls.

"Fuck." he hissed and grabbed her by the back of her hair roughly causing her to hit the floor making a loud thump. "You're a nasty little bitch!" he shouted grabbing her face and leaning over her. "Touch me like that again and I'll knock you the fuck out."

"You're drunk and need to leave." she said trying to sound strong. "I don't want you under the same roof as my daughter."

"Fuck you uptight bitch." He said and spat in her face. "You'll be calling in the morning." he said grabbing his jacket and swinging the front door open and walking out if it.

Before AJ even cleaned the spit off of her face she ran to the door and locked it then ran up the stairs to check on her daughter.

* * *

Dean dropped his keys as he stumbled down the stairs and when he reached the bottom he fell to his knees to grab them since he was still feeling the burn from AJ's low blow. A large foot placed over the keys and Dean slowly looked up.

"I'm really fucked up." Dean laughed hysterically falling back on his ass and looking up at the man.

"Who are you?" Punk asked him.

"You're the fucking ghost you tell me. Are you here haunt to me?" Dean asked amused.

"You know who I am?" Punk asked him.

"I do. Every cop in Chicago knows the great shamed Phil Brooks." He laughed. "Seriously how much did I fucking drink?" he asked himself.

"You're a cop?" Punk asked and Dean laughed and nodded. "Then I assume you know better than to get behind the wheel of a car while being so drunk you can't even stand."

"That's enough." John laughed.

"Who the fuck is this? Ghost friend?" Dean laughed.

"I'll take care of this guy you go inside." John said to him. "Go be with your family."

"Did I hit my head?" Dean asked John with a laugh as he helped him up.

"Maybe." John said holding up.

Punk rang the bell but no one came to the door. He knew AJ had to be inside since it was late and people were still leaving the house. He began to bang on the door and finally the light outside was turned on.

"I'm not opening this door and if you don't leave I'm calling Colt." She threatened.

"AJ." He said in a nervous voice and saw her slowly open the door but kept the chain up.

For the first time in over a year her eyes met his and they were wide in shock. She made no move to let him in as she was literally frozen in place.

"It's me." Punk said to her.

"You're dead." She whispered.

"No I'm not." he said to her.

"You're not real." She said eyeing him carefully.

Punk placed his hand between the door.

"Feel me." He encouraged. "I'm real."

AJ placed her fingers over his hand and gasped and looked up at him.

"See?" He asked with a smile. "I've been waiting for this moment and don't want have this conversation through a door." he said trying to meet her eyes as they traveled up and down his body. "AJ I-" he started but she hit the floor and fainted. "Oh fuck." he mumbled trying to stick his head in.

Punk used his hip to push through the door and closed it behind him and quickly leaned over AJ.

"AJ wake up." He said lightly tapping her cheek.

"This can't be real." She said opening her eyes.

"It's very real." Punk assured her. "Are you ok?"

"Phil." She cried. "This-"

Punk silenced her with a kiss and it felt so natural to her.

"Do you believe that?" Punk asked her.

"How is this possible? I buried you." She said as he helped her up and over to the couch.

"It's a long story but FBI had me in witness protection until they took the Levesque's down." Punk told her. "They said they'd kill you and I had to make a choice. I know you're probably angry-"

"I'm confused and still not sure if I'm dreaming." She admitted.

"You're not dreaming baby." He grinned running his thumb over her cheek. "John is here and he'll come in if you want someone else to explain it you."

"John Cena?" She asked.

"Yea." he said to her. "He was helping that guy out who fell outside."

"Oh god." She said dropping her hands into her hands.  
"What's wrong?" he asked her placing his hand on her back.

"Are you back for good?" she asked looking up at him.

"Yea I am." he said to her. "I'm not leaving you again. Levesque has been arrested along with his associates."

"I heard Colt and Dean talking about that earlier." AJ said to him. "You're really here?" she asked with a smile as she cried.

"I'm really and truly here." he assured her. "For good." he said gabbing her hand into his both of his and bringing it to his mouth and kissing it. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm just-" she stopped talking when cried came over the baby monitor. "Catalina." She whispered. "Do you want to see her?"

"Yes." He said already getting out his seat and walking towards the stairs.

"I talk about you all of the time and she's seen your picture." AJ said as they walked up the stairs.

"Oh god." Punk said stunned as they entered nursery and there was his daughter standing up and holding onto the crib as she cried.

"Isn't she beautiful?" AJ asked drying her tears and smiling at her daughter.

"She's so beautiful. I've seen pictures but they didn't do her justice." he said walking over to the crib. "Can I?" he asked and AJ nodded. "Hi baby girl." Punk smiled lifting her out of the crib. "It's me daddy."

"Da-da." Catalina cried.

"That's the first word she ever said. She's been asking for you for a long time." AJ said holding her hands to her mouth as she watched this moment in awe.

"She doesn't have to wait any longer." Punk said smiling at his daughter as he bounced her up and down and her cries got silent. "Hi, sorry I've missed so much time with you." he said as a few tears fell from his face. "I'm home now."

"I have to call your mother." She said as it all started to hit her. "And Colt and Shawn-"

"Shawn knows." Punk told her.

"He knew?" She frowned.

"Yea he did and we'll call Colt and my family but not right now, right now I need to reconnect with my girls." Punk said to her. "It wasn't them that got me through this last year it was the thought of coming home to you two."

"Where were you staying?" she asked him.

"Some random spot in Utah." he scoffed. "I worked in a mechanic shop and I know nothing about fixing cars so I pumped gas most of the time."

"I'm sorry." She said to him.

"Don't be it's over. I get to come home and go back to work now." Punk said to her.

"The Chicago PD isn't going to take you back." She pointed out.

"No but Jersey will." Punk said to her. "That's were we're going right?" he asked as he still held onto his daughter who clung to him.

"I rented the house out." AJ told him.

"We'll get it back then." Punk shrugged.

"I have a life here." she said to him.

"You had a life in Jersey too." He said to her. "Just because the Levesque's are gone doesn't mean Chicago is still safe enough."

"You're right." she said to him.

"AJ this is a lot and I get that." he said to her. "I don't want to throw everything at you at once we have all the time in the world to discuss this."

"Ok." She said to him.

"You're pale as a ghost AJ." he sighed looking at her as Cat's head rested on his shoulder and he patted her back gently.

"Who are you calling a ghost?" She teased.

"Fair enough." He smirked.

"She likes you." AJ smiled looking at her daughter who was already beginning to close her eyes. "It must have been too much noise that woke her up."

"Sorry about the door." he said to her.

"It's ok." She said to him as she ran her hand over her daughter's back. "She makes this funny face when she sleeps like you do." she told him and he smirked. "All of her facial expressions are all you."

"She has your eyes." Punk noted.

"She loves hockey." She confided and his eyes lit up. "It helps her sleep at night, I'll put on a game and she watches it in silence until she falls asleep."

"My kid." he said proudly.

"Today was her first birthday party." AJ told him.

"Did she have fun and get spoiled with gifts?" Punk asked seriously.

"She did." She confirmed.

"Good." He said seriously. "I'm sorry I missed it- everything."

"You didn't miss everything." She said to him. "Just a few months."

"A year." he corrected.

"Phil you'll be here for everything else though, won't you?" she asked.

"Everything." He promised. "Tell me everything about her." He said taking a seat in the chair in the room and AJ sat on the small couch inside of it.

"She's only one." She laughed.

"I want to know what she likes, what she doesn't, funny stories, allergies, favorite toy- everything please AJ." he pleaded.

"Ok well she has no allergies..." she started off.

* * *

A few hours later after talking and holding his daughter he put her back in her crib and they discussed his time in Utah and she told him about Chicago. It was nearly morning by the time she was all talked out.

"I really should call your mom now." AJ said to him.

"I'm going to stop over there personally." Punk said to her as they drank coffee on the couch.

"Aren't you tired?" AJ asked him. "You have to be. Go upstairs and sleep."

"I really could use a nap for like half an hour." he admitted.

"Come on." She said grabbing him by the hand and pulling him up the stairs.

"The room look different." He noted looking around as they entered the bedroom.

"I only changed the curtains and comforter." she pointed out.

"It's nice." He said kicking off his shoes.

"I have to take shower, you'll be here when I get back right?" She asked him and he laughed.

"You asked me that every time you went to the bathroom." Punk laughed. "I'm going to be here."

"Could you listen for the baby?" she asked him.

"Yea of course." He said to her. "I might just blow off this nap and hang out in there and watch her sleep."

"I do that sometimes too." She admitted.

"What do I do if she wakes up?" Punk asked her.

"You change her and everything you need is on the changing table." She told him.

"I can change a baby." He scoffed.

"And then feed her, she's on regular whole milk now and her bottles are down in the kitchen." she told him and he nodded.

"Easy." He snorted.

"Yea she's at a much easier age now." AJ remarked.

"I'm sorry I missed it all in the beginning." He said to her.

"You're here now." she said unable to stop smiling. "If you change your mind and want to call your mom here's my phone." She said placing it in his hand.

"Like I said I'm just going to go over." he said to her.

"Well she usually comes by almost every morning so she might beat you to it." AJ warned him. "She watches Cat while I work."

"Oh yea you told me that last night." Punk remembered. "You're not going to go into work today right? I kind of want you to myself."

"No I'll call out." she said to him. "I won't be long." She then slipped into the bathroom.

* * *

Punk was in the nursery waiting anxiously for Catalina to wake up and was almost tempted to wake her up. AJ's phone began to vibrate and Punk picked it up and saw she had received some texts from Colt. Immediately the thought in Punk's mind was that Colt was the boyfriend that John warned him about but the one AJ purposely didn't bring up. They discussed everything last night and he mentioned how he had been with a couple of women during his time away but she was so over the moon he was back he wasn't sure she even heard him. He wasn't mad if she moved to another man in the year but if it was his best friend he'd be pissed.

Punk put the phone down because he trusted AJ would eventually open to him the same way he did to her but again her phone went off and had another message from Colt. Punk was now glaring at the phone and ready to throw it right out the window. He now had no idea how AJ could be so cool with him being with other women while he was ready to kill whoever dared touched his AJ. Punk didn't carry on relationships with any of these women they were flings and meant nothing and he knew AJ understood that. There was no emotional connection and she did ask if he was in love with any of them and he told her he wasn't. As a matter of fact those women remained friends with him in Utah because again he was in a small town but there was never any further attraction.

Those women also knew his heart belonged to another woman and he never denied it when they asked. AJ was the woman he thought of while with those women, he was the woman who was always in his head and heart. When her phone went off again Punk grabbed the phone and read through some of the messages.

 _'Sorry for being a dick yesterday.'_

 _'I'm just looking out for you.'_

 _'I saw Dean this morning and he was still wasted, was telling me that the ghost of Punk was now haunting him for being with you.'_

Punk actually smirked at that one until he realized that the drunk who fell at his feet last night was the man AJ was dating. Now he frowned and looked further into the messages.

 _'When I came in he was icing his balls and said you attacked him what did he do? Don't make me come down there and check on you.'_

 _'Now I'm getting paranoid answer me just to let me know you're ok? I won't bother you about Dean anymore or at least for another week.'_

Punk stood up and walked into his bedroom and towards the master bath where he heard the shower running and walking inside.

"AJ." He said knocking on the glass door.

"Yea?" she asked sliding the door open slightly.

"You keep getting messages from Colt." He said holding her phone.

"Oh." She said to him. "It can wait until I'm done."

"I don't think they can he's really worried about you." Punk noted.

"You read my messages?" She asked him.

"I did." he told her bluntly. "He kept blowing up your phone I couldn't help but wonder why."

"There's nothing going on between us if that's what you're thinking." She said to him.

"Oh I know that." He laughed. "I met Dean on my way in last night."

"You what?" she asked fearfully.

"Yea he was drunk and falling all over the front steps." Punk said to her. "He told Colt you two got into a fight and he seems really worried."

"Don't worry about Dean." AJ said to him. "We were done regardless of you coming back."

"Ok but he was drunk and falling all over himself and he was in this house with you and my kid." Punk pointed out. "Did something happen? What did you two fight about?"

"Did I ask you for details about your relationships?" She asked him.

"They weren't relationships and you could ask me whatever you want I have nothing to hide." He said to her.

"Can we talk after I shower at least?" She asked closing the door on him and he rolled his eyes and opened the door.

"AJ I'm-" he froze when he saw the bruises the on her torso, hips and even her thighs.

"It's not what you think." She said quickly turning off the water.

"He hits you?" he asked her.

"No Phil." she said grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her body.

"I've been a cop for over ten fucking years AJ don't lie to me!" he yelled and that's when Catalina started to cry.

"You woke her." AJ said tying her hair back and with only her towel on headed into Cat's nursery. "He's just rough."

"Rough?" Punk asked as he watched her pick up his crying daughter. "What does that mean?"

"What does it matter?" She asked him.

"It matters to me. He's a cop, no?" Punk asked her.

"Yea he lives with Colt and Seth." She said to him and he nodded.

"And Colt didn't notice anything wrong?" Punk asked.

"Of course he did- he hated Dean being with me." She said as she placed Cat on her changing table.

"Did Dean leave those bruises on your body yes or no?" He asked slowly.

"Yes but-" She started but Punk was already out of the room. "Where are you going?" she yelled unable to leave the table since she was in the process of changing her daughter. "Phil!" she yelled again but heard the front door open and slam shut.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, you all are awesome!**


	29. Don't Ever Leave Me

**Don't Ever Leave Me**

* * *

Dean was still passed out on the couch while Colt glared at him from the armchair. Seth woke up and dragged himself out of his own bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Seth asked with a laugh.

"He did something to AJ last night." Colt said to him.

"I bet he did." Seth laughed.

"No something bad. Something so bad he started hallucinating that he saw Punk." Colt told him.

"That's a scary thought." Seth smirked. "I wasn't Punk's biggest fan but the dude was always reckless."

"I keep trying to get in touch with AJ but I can't." Colt said to him.

"So go over there and check on her." Seth suggested.

"I didn't want to leave him." he said disgusted pointing at Dean. "I called Roe and she's going to go over there and check in on her while I wait for this piece of shit to wake up and tell me what he did."

"Just wake him up." Seth said drinking OJ from the carton.

"I've tried but he's still so wasted." Colt said to him. "Got fucking bombed at a one year old's birthday party."

Banging at the door startled both Colt and Seth and caused Dean to slowly stir.

"Who the fuck is that at this time?" Seth asked walking to the door and looked out the peephole.

"Who is it?" Colt asked.

"Dude." Seth laughed shaking his head and rubbing his eyes before looking back. "It's a fucking ghost man. I didn't do shit to his old lady."

"What?" Colt asked annoyed and opened the door and sure enough there was Punk. "What the fuck-" he started but Punk stormed passed him.

"Get up!" Punk yelled kicking the couch Dean was on.

"How is this possible?" Colt asked stunned.

"How is it possible that you live with a guy who covered the mother of my child in bruises?" Punk asked back.

"Holy shit is there an earthquake?" Dean asked slowly waking up.

"Get the fuck up!" Punk screamed kicking the couch again.

"What the fuck is going on?" Seth asked Colt.

"This drunk fuck who hangs out in my home with my wife and kid hurt AJ." Punk told Colt and ignored Seth.

"Dude I tried to talk her out of being with him." Colt told him. "I begged her, I yelled at her, I ignored her- I tried everything!"

"I didn't hurt her." Dean said slowly sitting up rubbing his eyes.

"Why is she covered in bruises?" Punk asked him. "Her torso, her hips, her thighs-"

"She likes it rough I figured you of all people fucking knew that." Dean said to him.

"So rough that she has huge fucking bruises?" Punk hissed grabbing him by his shirt and forcing him to his feet. "You get drunk and force yourself on her often?"

"I'm no rapist." Dean said narrowing his eyes at him.

Punk dropped him down and fell onto the couch and began to laugh hysterically.

"You guys see him too right?" Dean asked pointing at Punk.

"It's always a big joke." Punk chuckled and pulled his gun out and shoved into Dean's mouth. "Until someone fucking dies!"

"Woah!" Colt yelled.

"I'll pay to have your couch cleaned." Punk said not even looking back at Dean who was frozen in fear.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on but don't blow your life away on this guy." Colt insisted nervously. "I'm sure if you saw AJ you saw Catalina as well." Punk's eyes softened now. "You can't do shit like this anymore I know you mean well but you have a daughter who really wants to get to know you. She cries out for her da-da all of the time."

"You touch or go near AJ again I'll find you and pull the trigger." Punk warned him as he slowly pulled the gun out of his mouth.

"I didn't hurt her." Dean said to him. "Everything was consensual."

"Don't talk to me about sex with her either that also makes me trigger happy." Punk warned him. "She said you were rough that was enough for me."

"We got into an argument last night and I don't remember much of it but I didn't rape her or hit her." Dean insisted.

"If you don't remember how can you be so sure?" Punk asked him.

"Because I'm not a fucking monster." Dean said annoyed. "You know I still don't know what the fuck is going on but that poor girl was miserable without you and I was just trying to take her mind off of things and it was finally starting to work."

"I'm back now." Punk informed him. "I'm taking AJ and my daughter and we're leaving so you won't be a problem."

"You can't just take her." Dean scoffed.

"I can do whatever the hell I want." Punk shot at him. "They're my family, not yours!"

"I didn't realize you married her." Dean said to him. "Cat is your kid sure but AJ is a grown woman and we're in a relationship."

"Not according to AJ." Punk said to him coldly.

"Go take a shower and clean yourself up." Colt said stepping between the two. "Help him out Seth."

"I'm not getting him the shower." Seth scoffed.

"Show up at my house again and you'll be a dead man." Punk threatened as Dean slowly walked away but kept his eyes on Punk.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Colt asked with a smile and threw his arms around his best friend.

"I was in witness protection until the FBI built their case against Levesque." Punk told him as he began to calm down since Dean was now out of the room. "I got home last night."

"You really had to fake your fucking death?" Colt asked him.

"I was shot and the Fed's approached me. Said it was the safest option for AJ and my daughter so I took it without thinking twice. I've been in Utah." Punk told him.

"This is unbelievable." Colt laughed. "How freaked was AJ?"

"She fainted." Punk smirked. "I met my daughter."

"She's a real beauty isn't she?" Colt grinned.

"So beautiful." Punk smiled. "I held her and she called me da-da. She knows who I am I think or am I crazy?"

"You're crazy but I think she knows." Colt laughed. "Why are you here wasting your time when you should be catching up on the year lost?"

"Because I saw bruises on AJ and I flipped." Punk said to him. "I imagined seeing AJ after a year and seeing her like that wasn't what I imagined. I also lived in some weird mindset where I thought she would have stayed celibate for me."

"Oh well she's only human." Colt pointed out.

"I was with other women." Punk admitted. "Not many and nothing serious but I feel like a hypocrite."

"It's kind of low." Colt admitted.

"Not even AJ said to me." Punk said to him.

"She cried herself to every night." Colt told him. "She was a mess and you-"

"I wasn't off having a great time." Punk cut him off. "And I didn't run to Utah and start fucking every woman I saw it was almost a year before I cracked."

"Was for her too." Colt said to him.

"I just wish she would have picked better." Punk said to him.

"Are you really moving?" Colt asked him.

"We are." Punk said to him. "I want to go back to work, I want to go back to the home I bought for AJ and raise our daughter there."

"What about her family here?" Colt asked. "We've been there since the night she was born. I drove AJ to the hospital when her water broke and your mom was in the delivery room with her. Your sisters held her the night she was born too."

"I appreciate it all but I can't work out here and yes I know I have money but I can't live off of that forever." Punk said to him. "It's for the best and you can come see us whenever and with Levesque gone I'll bring them both back to visit."

"I get it." Colt said to him. "But AJ swore she'd never go back into that house."

"Yea because she thought I died in it but I didn't." Punk pointed out.

"She has a job and stuff." Colt pointed out.

"Where?" Punk asked.

"She's working at a coffee shop she seems to like it." Colt shrugged.

"Not anymore." Punk said simply. "I'm taking my family and leaving this hell state once and for all."

* * *

Punk approached his house and hear voices arguing inside and slowly crept inside.

"...no Roe he was here I am not crazy!" AJ yelled.

"I'm not saying you're crazy but maybe you're just tired." Roe frowned. "Colt said you and Dean had some sort of a fight did you hit your head maybe?"

"No! I'm telling you- look!" She yelled pointing and Roe turned around and gasped.

"Ma." Punk greeted with a nervous smile.

"My god." she said walking over to him carefully.

"I know I have a lot to explain-" he started but she threw her arms around him.

"I don't want to hear anything just hug me." Roe cried into his shoulder.

After prying his mother off of him he sat her down and explained everything to her. She didn't even seem interested as she just smiled at him the entire time.

"AJ told me how helpful you've been with Catalina." Punk said to her. "I won't be able to thank you enough for it."

"She looks just like you." Roe smiled. "And April has been a rock for me as well it was my pleasure."

"Speaking of." AJ said coming down the stairs with Catalina in her arms.

Roe watched as Punk's eyes lit up at the sight of his daughter.

"Did daddy wake you earlier?" Punk asked as AJ passed her off to him. "He's sorry."

"Where did you go?" AJ asked him.

"To see Colt." Punk said to her.

"Before your mother?" Roe questioned dangerously.

"He really went to see Dean." AJ answered for him already knowing. "Happy now?"

"Nope." Punk said shifting Catalina so she was sitting on his knee and she was babbling on. "Don't want to discuss right now."

"Can I make you both brunch?" Roe offered.

"You don't have to do that." AJ insisted.

"I want to, let me." she said wiping away her tears as she hurried into the kitchen.

"You want to play?" he asked Catalina who was squirming in his arms. He sat her down and watched her crawl over to her toy chest. "She's so big."

"She is." AJ agreed sitting next to him. "What happened with Dean?"

"AJ you're such a smart woman." He said keeping his eyes on Catalina. "You know the kind of relationship you were in with him was toxic and unhealthy don't you?"

"I didn't see it that way." she said to him.

"I'd like to think I know you pretty well." he said looking towards her. "I know what you like and don't- and you do not like rough sex like that and I can tell by just where the bruises are placed that it came from sex. Do you know how many assault victims I've seen who looked like you do? It was abusive."

"I just wanted to forget." She said to him.

"I know." he said to her. "Do you love him?"

"Of course not." She said to him. "I told you earlier we broke up last night anyway."

"He doesn't recall that." Punk said to her. "I need you to be honest."

"He probably doesn't remember." She said to him. "I threw him out of the house trust me it's done."

"Again, he doesn't think so." Punk said to her.

"He's probably just really hungover." AJ said to him. "He won't bother me anymore."

"I've gone through a lot to make sure you were safe and we'd have a happy and healthy life together with our daughter." Punk said to her. "Jake Miller, Cena, Levesque- I'm not letting some drunk cop you had a fling with get in my way."

"I don't plan on that either." She said to him. "I don't know where we stand because everything feels so unreal at the moment-"

"I want to take you and Catalina out." He said to her. "I want to reconnect with you but my feelings haven't changed."

"Mine either." she said to him. "And I've been thinking about it and if you want to go back to Jersey we'll go with you."

"I hoped so." he laughed. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere without you two."

Punk looked towards Catalina who was just reaching into her toy chest and throwing her toys out of it.

"She's at the fun stage where she makes a mess everywhere." she said to him laughing.

"She's perfect." Punk said to her. "She's a little short for her age, no?"

"I was the same height at her age." AJ laughed.

"Oh another tiny one." Punk snorted.

"She's in perfect health she was just at the doctors." AJ assured him. "Her weight is on point, her motor skills- everything."

"Good." he said relieved. "You've had a lot more time adjusting to this parent thing. Last time I saw you she was still inside your belly and we were going to find out if she was a boy or girl."

"Well surprise she was a girl!" she laughed. "I don't like thinking back to that day though."

"I'm sorry you went through any of that." Punk said grabbing her hand. "I just wanted you safe more than anything."

"I get that." she said to him.

"Why didn't you go back home?" He asked her. "We worked so hard to make that house ours."

"You died there in the baby's room." She said holding back tears. "I couldn't live with that. Loosing you and my mother at that home was too much I never wanted to go back."

"I heard you rented." Punk said to her.

"They already left." AJ said to him. "They only needed it for a few months anyway."

"I loved the idea of watching our daughter run around in the yard with Charger." his face dropped then. "Where is Charger?"

"He's with Shawn in Jersey." She said to him. "This place is big but there was no grass for him here and people were terrified when I bought him to the park when all he wanted to do was pay with everyone. It wasn't fair for him. He's only two years old you didn't think he died did you?"

"No I was just worried." Punk said to her. "I miss him too actually."

"Shawn drove him down a few weeks ago when he and Cheryl went on a road trip and he stayed with us. He loves Cat." she grinned. "Let's her pull on his tail and she was trying to ride him." she laughed. "Shawn I think is a little tired of having him though." she laughed.

"We'll take him back." Punk said to her. "We'll have that perfect dream life we always imagined."

* * *

Roe wasn't thrilled with the idea of Punk and AJ going back to Jersey but she didn't fight it and knew it was the best option for the family. His sisters also stopped by to smother him with hugs and kisses and didn't leave the house until close to eight. Punk volunteered to bathe and put Catalina down for bed.

"How did that go?" AJ asked from the couch.

"I'm soaked." He said to her.

"Did I forget to mention how she loves to splash?" she asked him.

"Yea." He mocked falling onto the couch next to her.

"Phil." She started sitting up on her knees so she could be eye-level with him. "The other women you were with were they better than me?"

"No." He said without hesitation.

"How many?" she asked.

"You really want to get into this now?" He asked her but she glared at him. "4."

"4?" She questioned.

"Meant nothing." He said to her.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Why did I have sex with them?" He asked and she nodded. "Because I was lonely I guess and like you I wanted to feel something except all I felt was bad."

"Why?" She asked.

"They weren't you." he admitted. "It was never just about sex with you." he reminded her. "We connected on a whole other level that no one could ever touch. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." she said to him.

"Were you only with Dean?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I've been thinking about that too." she admitted. "You were right it was pretty abusive."

"My mother told me that you flinched around him all day yesterday and she was concerned herself." Punk said to her.

"He never hit me like that." She said to him.

"Really?" He asked her.

"Well last night he pushed me onto the floor and it got scary." She said to him. "I didn't want him in the house with Cat while he was so drunk."

"You're a good mother." He smiled at her proudly.

"That was the first time he met her last night and he was good with her." She assured him and he nodded.

"Did he force himself on you?" Punk had to know.

"No not really." She said thinking about it. "I mean there were times I just didn't want to, you know- and he really did and he kind of just kept going until I got into it or sometimes I'd just lay there until he finished." she could see the pain in his eyes and kicked herself mentally. "You don't want to hear about this I'm sorry-" she began to stand up but Punk grabbed her hand and forced her to sit back down.

"No I do." He said to her.

"He wasn't like you he didn't respect my body or cared if I was in pain." she said to him.

"I"m sorry." he said to her.

"I made the choice to be with him even though Colt warned me countless times." she said to him. "This was on me. I wanted to be with someone who wasn't like you at all and I guess I succeeded."

"It's ok." he said running his thumb over the top of her hand. "We both made mistakes and learned from them."

"You don't hate me?" she asked him.

"I told you the night you told me you were pregnant I could never hate you." He smirked. "I still can't."

"Kiss me?" She asked.

"That I can do." He smiled cupping her face gently and giving her a proper kiss, their first proper kiss in well over a year.

Punk's kisses were so sweet and left her craving more. She thought she'd never be kissed like this again with such love and tenderness. He gently guided her onto the couch (not throw which was new to her now) and gently laid across her body and continued to kiss her deeply.

"I've missed you." She admitted pulling away from the kiss. "I dreamed of kissing you one last time every night."

"Well this isn't our last kiss it's going to be our first of many." He promised her and kissed the tip of her nose. "I love you so much." he said looking into her eyes.

"Show me." She requested.

"Are you sure?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Show me how much you love me and I'll show you." She whispered.

Punk was about to kiss her again when her doorbell rang and he dropped his head in defeat onto her shoulder while she let out a laugh.

"It's like old times." He muttered.

The person at the door kept ringing until Punk pried himself off of her and she raced to the door before the bell woke the baby up.

"Daddy." AJ greeted completely forgetting she had dinner plans with him.

"You're alive that's nice." Robert huffed walking into the home. "We had reservations an hour ago and you don't call or answer your phone do you know what was going through my mind?"

"Shhh Catalina is sleeping." AJ whispered.

"April we had-" he stopped when he saw Punk looking at him from the couch. "Holy shit."

"I was busy." AJ smiled looking back towards Punk.

"Mr. Mendez." Punk greeted forcefully.

"How is this happening?" Robert asked AJ but not taking his eyes off of Punk.

"It's a long story but the FBI was hiding him out for a while." She said to him. "Isn't this amazing?"

"Detective." Robert greeted sticking out his hand and shaking Punk's. "Are you here for good?"

"I am." Punk said to him. "Well here with my family but we're heading back to Jersey soon."

"We're going to move back into the house." AJ told him and he nodded.

Over the baby monitor there was crying.

"I'll go get her." AJ said walking up the stairs.

"You woke her up. Took me an hour to get her to sleep." Punk said standing up finally and quickly Robert hit Punk across the face and it hurt Robert more then it hurt Punk clearly. "What the fuck was that for?" Punk asked robbing his cheek while Robert shook out his hand.

"For making my daughter cry." Robert said to him. "All those sleepless night she had since you were gone, the first day her daughter was born should have been the happiest but she wept over you not being the one to hold her hand, even yesterday I caught her outside by the garbage crying."

"I'm sorry." Punk said rubbing his jaw still. "It was for her safety."

"Are you here for good are you going to take off and leave hear again?" Robert asked him.

"I'm not leaving." Punk said to him. "I'm here for good and your daughter and my daughter are my priority. We're going back to Jersey and I'm going back to work and I'm going to give her the life she deserves. Your daughter isn't going to have to work, she isn't going to have to worry about anything anymore."  
"Good." Robert said sternly. "You have a daughter so I hoped you'd understand my concerns."

"I get it." Punk said to him. "I haven't known her too long-"

"It doesn't matter how much time you've spent with her you love her regardless." Robert said to him. "Same as I have with April."

"Right." Punk said now feeling a little bad about all the grief he had given him over not spending time with AJ.

"What are your intentions with AJ?" Robert asked him and Punk let out a small laugh.

"It's a little late for this talk." Punk said amused. "We already have a baby."

"She deserves it all." Robert said to him.

"I'm going to spend the rest of my life with AJ." Punk assured him. "I am going to marry her. I just haven't asked yet."

"Were you planning to at all?" Robert questioned.

"I have. Thought about it a lot over the last year and even more the last few weeks." Punk said to him. "I'm going to do right by your daughter I assure you."

"She heard grandpa." AJ smiled coming down the stairs.

"There's my precious baby girl." Robert smiled and extending his arms to Catalina and kissing her cheek.

"I had no idea your father was so involved." Punk said to her.

"He fly's down once a month." AJ said to him as they watched Robert bounce her around. "I'm not even jealous it's not to see me because Cat loves him so much."

"Clearly." Punk smirked watching his happy daughter in the arms of her grandfather.

"I never asked you if you were ok with her name." She said as the realization just hit her.

"I love it." Punk said to her. "It reminds me of my sister's middle name actually."

"Catherine." AJ smiled. "And my mother's middle name was Lena. So I put the together for Catalina."

"That was amazing of you to do." Punk said to her. "Thank you and the name suits her perfectly."

"Ok I have a flight to catch." Robert announced and gave Cat one last kiss. "I love you princess." he smiled and passed her over to Punk. "There you go dad."

"But I just put her to sleep and now you got her all excited again." Punk frowned as his daughter squealed in his arms.

"Parenting 101- you'll figure it out." he said slapping his shoulder. "April I'll call you in a few days." he said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Have a safe trip." she said walking him to the door.

"Seriously how do I do this now?" Punk asked her.

"You have to put her in the crib because she hasn't napped today and needs to sleep." AJ told him.

"But now she's not tired." he pointed out holding her close.

"I know and she'll probably cry but it's what you have to do." She said to him running her hand over Cat's short dark hair.

"I'm not leaving my daughter to cry." He said to her almost offended.

"Phil you have-" she started.

"It's fine she's a baby and has to sleep she can fall asleep in daddy's arms, right baby girl?" he asked the little girl who was still moving around in his arms.

"I have old hockey games on the DVR." she said to him.

"That's right, that also helps daddy sleep sometimes." Punk said to his daughter as he walked over to the couch.

"And when you're done I'll be upstairs waiting." she said kissing the top of his head.

"You're leaving me with her by myself?" Punk asked nervously.

"You'll be fine." she said to him simply. "It comes naturally."

* * *

It took him three hours to get Catalina to sleep and almost two full hockey games but she finally fell asleep. Punk carefully carried her in his arms and placed her into her crib and pulled a blanket it up over her. He leaned over and admired her for a few moments before kissing her head gently. He then headed across the hall where he hoped AJ was still up waiting for him.

"Finally." she said reading a book and put it down.

"She's a light sleeper." Punk said to her as he kicked off his socks and got into the bed with her.

"She gets that from you." AJ said to him.

"Maybe." He smirked pulling off his t-shirt and jeans.

"Anxious?" She laughed.

"Yea." He said bluntly causing her to laugh as he crawled over her. "Now where were we before that rude interruption?" He asked her.

AJ leaned over to turn the light off but he grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"I haven't seen you like this in years and you want the light off? Since when are you shy?" he asked her.

"You saw the bruises I don't want to turn you off." she said to him.

"It doesn't turn me off." He said to her sadly. "I love you and I want to see you."

"I feel funny." She said to him. "Also my body after the baby-"

"AJ please." He begged kissing the corner of her mouth. "You can turn that light off if you want but it changes nothing. Light on or off I want you just the same."

"Are you sure?" she asked him.

"Very." He said kissing her again.

Punk's mouth spent close to ten minutes exploring and getting reacquainted with hers while his hand slipped under the cover and passed her panties and played with her just the way he remembered she loved. Her fingers ran through his hair and her nails down his back as everything grew more intense.

Punk's mouth slid away from hers and he kissed her neck while she removed her own bra. His free hand immediately moved to her left breast and cupped her there while his mouth latched onto her right one. He was careful when he kissed down her stomach to not push on her bruises and reached her panties while tugging the blankets down so she could watch him. She was so nervous since she was barely badly bruised there. He looked down at her as he tugged her panties down down her legs then didn't do a thing after.

"It's ok." She said knowing he must have been disgusted.

"It really isn't." He said kissing the inside of her thighs where she was bruised. "He didn't deserve you because he didn't cherish you properly."

"That feels nice." She admitted forgetting how selfless sex could really be.

"You deserve this." he said and kissed her gently over her clit and gently sucked on her.

He played with her down there for a little longer and used his tongue and his fingers to explore her body. She was gasping and smiling and came before he even knew it.

"It's been a long time since I felt that good." She said blushing from embarassment.

"Glad I could be of service." He smirked and ran his tongue over her slit one final time before moving back up her body.

"I'm ready for you." She whispered against his lips as he nipped at her bottom lip while her hands tugged at his boxers and stroked him in her hands. "You're ready for me too I can feel it."

"I've been ready for you for one year five months and six days." he admitted resting between her legs and then entered slowly and giving her body a few moments to adjust to his size again. "I want to marry you." he told her and she just looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I want to have more children with you, I want to grown old with you."

"We'll do all of that." she promised running her hands down his cheek.

"Promise me?" he requested as he began to move his pelvis gently.

"I promise." She swore and pulled his face down to kiss her so his body was smothering hers and his hips began to move at a gentle pace.

Her legs were bent up by his thighs as he kissed her until she was sure her lips were going to fall off. She was still amazing, still beautiful and just as he remembered her. Punk's mouth parted from hers when he needs air to breath and rested his head against her neck and lazily entered her body. It wasn't about pace or feeling good even though it was amazing, it was about the re-connection and the void they both had been missing for over a year.

AJ was sweating as she felt he was inside of her for ages. She could feel him leaving kisses on her neck while proving how much he loved her. AJ wanted to climax but she also didn't want this to end, neither did. She rolled over to she was on top of Punk now and began to move her own hips up and down while he watched her with intensity. Her hands were on his chest and he wanted to grab her hips but knew they were still bruised so he had no choice but to sit up with her and push up into her since he nearing his max as well.

Punk's hands ran up and down her spine while her arms were wrapped loosely around his neck while she matched his quickening pace. She felt orgasm about to rip through her body and grabbed his face and kissed him so she wouldn't wake up the baby and moaned into his mouth as she rode off the most satisfying orgasm she had ever had. Punk wrapped his arms around her and pushed into her one time and came as well and fell back onto the bed with her resting on his chest.

"I love you." She whispered kissing his scratchy jaw. "Please don't ever leave me again." and Punk felt wet tears hit his chest.

"Never." He promised kissing the top of her sweaty head lightly.

"I won't survive loosing you again." She told him honestly. "I almost didn't the first time if it wasn't for Catalina I don't know where I'd be today."

"Don't sell yourself so short. You've survived worse." he pointed out.

"Phil loosing you was like loosing everything." she said holding her head up so he could see her eyes. "I didn't just bury the father of my child I buried my lover, best friend, partner, protector and confidant."

"I'm not going anywhere without you." He said to her. "You and our little girl. I love you both so much that my heart could beat right out of my chest."

AJ dropped her head and kissed his left breast and gave him a weak smile.

"We love you just the same." she said to him.

"I know." he said using his hand to cup one side of her face and she nuzzled into it the moved away and kissed the palm of his hand.

"Come here." He said bending his finger and tapping his lips so she'd kiss him there...


	30. Judgment Day

**Judgment Day**

* * *

Punk was anxious to start packing up his girls and head back to New Jersey and start re-building their lives.

"You have a lot of toys for such a tiny person." Punk said to his daughter as he placed some of her toys into a box.

"Me-." Catalina laughed taking the toys out of the box he was packing.

"You're making this difficult for daddy." Punk grinned. "Very difficult.

"Me!" Cat laughed falling on her butt and holding two of her toys.

"Yes yours." Punk said grabbing more things in the nursery.

"Da-da." Cat said standing back up and wobbling to the box.

"Here we go." Punk sighed and watched her take another toy out.

"How's that going?" AJ laughed leaning in the doorway.

"I don't think she wants to go." Punk said looking up at her.

"She has no idea what's happening she just doesn't want you taking her toys." AJ smiled reaching down and picking up her daughter.

"How's your packing situation going?" he asked her.

"I packed a lot." She said to him. "Told my job I wasn't coming back."

"I wanted to talk to you about that actually." he said looking up at her as he quickly threw Cat's toys in a box. "Back in Jersey you can work or not it's up to you. If you want to stay home a little bit with Cat you can."

"Your mother told you that's what I wanted?" AJ asked him.

"She mentioned how you wished you could have spent more time with Cat before she started school." Punk said to her. "You can do that now."

"I'll think about it." She said to him. "I don't want to live off of your money though."

"It's our money." He said to her.

"No it's not." She argued.

"What's mine is yours." He said to her seriously. "And you could have taken whatever money you wanted for yourself. You didn't have to work like a dog while I was gone."

"Oh speaking of dog!" she announced happily. "I spoke to Shawn and he's more than happy to let us have Charger back."

"I really missed him." Punk admitted.

"I know you keep bringing him up." AJ smirked. "He'll be excited to see you too."

"You think he'll remember me?" Punk asked standing up with the box and taping it closed.

"Sure he will." She said to him. "Sleepy baby?"

"A little." He sighed.

"Not you goof." she laughed and he saw Catalina yawning in her arms.

"Okay daddy is done." Punk said taking her from AJ.

"You're a natural with her." AJ noted.

"You think so?" he asked and she nodded.

"She loves when you hold her." AJ smiled.

"Just like her mother." he teased.

"Want to put her to bed?" AJ asked him.

"Yes I do." he said to her. "Want daddy to read to you again?" he asked Catalina walking over to her book shelf.

"I'll be downstairs packing up the kitchen." She said to him.

"I'll be down to help as soon as she's sleeping." Punk promised.

"Take your time." AJ said to him.

* * *

As AJ walked down the stairs she heard knocking at the front door and expected to see Colt who said he'd be dropping by.

"Hey." Dean greeted looking down at his feet mostly.

"Hi." AJ greeted in a sympathetic smile.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"That's not a good idea." AJ said stepping further outside so Punk wouldn't hear her.

"So that's it? Months together and you weren't even going to call me up to tell me you were leaving?" Dean asked her.

"I didn't think you cared. Also after the other night I don't owe you an explanation." She said folding her arms.

"I don't remember it." Dean said to her.

"You grabbed me by my hair and threw me on the floor and spit in my face." she said to him.

"I'm sorry." He said to her.

"Sorry isn't enough." She said to him.

"What can I do or say to fix this?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She told him with a shrug. "Phil is back."

"So that's it?" he laughed.

"That's it." She confirmed.

"It wasn't always bad." Dean reminded her. "We had good times."

"We did but-" she started.

"So you're just forgetting all of that because of one lousy night?" Dean laughed. "You can't just do that."

"It wasn't just one bad night." she pointed out. "You used me."

"Oh don't do that." Dean said shaking his finger. "Don't paint me as the bad guy when you're the one taking off."

"I'm not just taking off." she laughed. "My family is complete again."

"How well do you even know Punk?" Dean asked her.

"Better than I know myself." She told him and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't have skeletons in my closet, I don't have anything to hide like he does. What happens when someone else tries to kill him? He takes off for another year? Maybe two?" Dean asked.

"You do have skeletons in your closet." She told him. "I'm one of them."

"I was good to you." Dean corrected.

That's when AJ lifted her shirt up slightly and showed him the slowly fading bruises that were now yellow.

"There's a lot more of them." she said pulling her shirt back down.

"It was just sex." He argued lightly.

"It hurt." She shot at him.

"You should have said something." Dean said trying to not let it bother him.

"I did." She said to him. "You would put your hand over my mouth."

"Never bothered you before." Dean remarked. "Not until Punk came home and put a bunch of shit in your head to turn you against me."

"He didn't." she told him softly.

"So I was just a place holder?" Dean asked angrily. "A warm body until your baby daddy came home?"

"I didn't know he was coming home." AJ told him honestly. "And even if he didn't we were done. I told you that after the party, after you kept shoving me into the door."

"You're making shit up to make yourself look better." Dean argued.

"You have a drinking problem." She insisted.

"You never said any of this shit before him." Dean laughed. "You do realize that he is only that right? He's just your baby daddy and never more."

"You don't know him." AJ said to him.

"Oh I know guys like Punk, I've known them my entire life." Dean said to her. "It amazes me this guy rises from the dead I lose my girl, my apartment and almost my job."

"Your job?" AJ asked confused.

"My boss got a call from some FBI agent who apparently swept me off the street after Catalina's birthday party." Dean said bitterly.

"I wish you a lot of luck and hope you find peace in your life." she said simply and turned to walk back in the house.

"AJ wait-" Dean started as he followed her back into the house but only made it the door since now Punk was blocking his way.

"Get off my property." Punk warned him. "What did I tell you I'd do to you if you went near her again?"

"Wouldn't want to piss you off." Dean mocked taking a few steps back. "Have a nice life!" he yelled looking past Punk's shoulder towards AJ.

"What was he doing here?" Punk asked closing the door but moving to the window to make sure he got into his car and left.

"He wanted to know if I was really leaving." AJ said to him.

"I don't know what you were thinking when you got involved with him." Punk admitted watching Dean take off.

"I was grieving Phil." She reminded him. "I just had Catalina and I was raising her by myself and I was sad, I wasn't thinking about much."

"If god forbid something happens to me for real promise you'll be more careful." he begged. "Don't let guys like that near you or our daughter."

"He wasn't always that bad." AJ insisted. "He just has demons he's fighting."

"Doesn't mean he should have taken it out on you." Punk argued following her into the kitchen.

"I don't want to think about him right now." She said reaching into the cabinet and pulling out some glasses to pack.

"You going to miss him?" Punk asked her as he wrapped the glass in paper.

"The old Dean sure." She said to him. "New scary Dean not so much. He was good enough to live with Colt so it wasn't just me."

"Clearly." Punk remarked.

"I'm sure you where with all winners." AJ remarked coldly.

"They didn't leave bruises on my body." Punk shrugged.

"If we had been married before you left would you have slept with those other women?" AJ asked him.

"While I was away for over a year?" He asked with a laugh.

"Is that your way of saying yes?" AJ asked back. "You mentioned you wanted to get marry eventually but will you be able to keep your promises to me?"

"Of course." he scoffed.

"Did you not want to marry me because you knew you'd be away and wanted your freedom?" She asked him.

"I didn't know until the day I left." Punk assured her. "Why are you so uptight about this now?"

"Well you're very judgmental about who I was with but I thought you were gone forever yet you on the other hand knew you'd be back and still couldn't keep it in your pants." she pointed out. "You didn't wait for me." she said with glassy eyes.

"AJ." He sighed. "It wasn't like that. It was, I don't know a man thing."

"A man thing? You knew you'd come home to me and Catalina but couldn't wait?" AJ asked him.

"I thought we talked about this already?" Punk asked her wanting out of this conversation pronto.

"Briefly but I was so happy you were back I wasn't thinking about everything and now I am." she said to him.

"Are you picking a fight with me because of Dean?" Punk asked her.

"No! It's not about him!" she yelled. "It's about you abandoning me and then replacing me in your bed!"

"For fucks sake AJ." He said stunned. "Where the hell is this all coming from? You know why I left."

"You could have gotten in touch with me and I would have understood. Maybe I wouldn't have slept with Dean or moved out Jersey. You turned my entire world upside down while you were having a grand time in Utah!" she cried.

"You think that's what Utah was for me?" Punk asked almost disgusted. "You think I was out whoring around? You don't think I didn't want to be here for every doctors appointment or when Cat was born? That I didn't cry to fucking John Cena when he showed me the first picture of her that was taken in the hospital? And believe me I wanted to tell you and come home to you but I couldn't be selfish and risk you and now Catalina. Every day that I was there I thought about you and our baby. You weren't the only one suffering AJ believe me on that." he spat. "And the women thing? That was called desperation and I pictured you every time. I called out your god damn name! And not only was I missing you but I was in constant fear of something happening to you! I was sick to my stomach with worry!"

"What would have happened if you came back and I really had moved on?" AJ asked him. "Did you even consider that I would have found another man and been just as happy?"

"Not until John told me you were seeing someone but I wasn't worried." he shrugged.

"Why is that?" She asked folding her arms.

"Because I'm me." he said simply she narrowed his eyes at him. "What?"

"You are so full of yourself." AJ said to him annoyed as she turned her back and packed up her boxes more.

"Am I wrong?" Punk laughed.

"What if you came back here and just turned my life upside down?" AJ asked him. "You wouldn't have cared? You went off had fun then decided to come back to your daughter."

"And you." He added. "What is wrong with you tonight?" he asked her.

"It's nothing." She said to him. "It's just you have a lot to say about the choices I made while you were gone like dating Dean or moving here to Chicago."

"I'm not judging." he defended.

"Seems like you are." She shot at him.

"That's Colt." Punk said when he heard the bell.

"Better go answer it." She said simply not looking back at him.

Punk let Colt in and by the time he made it back into the kitchen to talk to AJ she was already gone.

"What's going on?" Colt asked him.

"I don't even fucking know." Punk groaned. "She was happy for the last couple of days and now she's angry. She thinks I was off having a grand time while she was just miserable."

"She was shocked when you walked through that door but now that's worn off and she's understandably upset." Colt shrugged. "Does that really surprise you?"

"I thought she'd just be happy." He shrugged.

"Man you were gone and you could have at least called." Colt pointed out.

"No I couldn't have." Punk said to him. "If I could and it was safe I would have."

"I get that but she's upset." Colt reasoned. "Try to be a little patient with her."

"I'm the one that had to go without anyone." Punk reminded him. "I didn't have a friend, any family and I missed everything with Catalina."

"It was your choice though she didn't get an option." Colt pointed out. "You knew you'd be back she never did."

"So she should be over the moon not angry." Punk grunted packing up the living room. "Grateful that we have gotten a second chance."

"You're such a sensitive guy." Colt laughed sarcastically. "How did you nail AJ down again? Oh that's right you knocked her up."

"With or without Catalina I still would have come home to her." Punk said to him. "She kept me sane while I was away and she didn't even know it."

"So fucking tell her." Colt laughed.

"I have!" Punk shouted. "I've told her a hundred times!"

"Tell her a hundred and one times than." Colt said simply.

"I can't talk about this right now, are you going to help me pack this place up or what?" Punk asked. "Cat has 10,000 toys alone."

"She's a spoiled kid." Colt chuckled and Punk glared at him.

"Don't call my daughter spoiled." Punk warned him and Colt rolled his eyes.

"Relax dad." Colt laughed grabbing an empty box. "I'm just teasing and half of these toys were purchased by me might I add."

"About that." Punk started. "AJ told me what a great help you've been to her and I appreciate it."

"Of course." Colt said to him. "AJ is great, Cat is amazing and you're my brother."

"Just know I'd do the same for you." Punk assured him.

"I had no doubt that you would." Colt smiled.

"Ugh." AJ groaned coming down the stairs.

"What?" Punk asked.

"Your daughter woke up and spit up on me." She said running to the sink in the kitchen.

"Uncle Colt will settle her down." Colt smirked then headed towards the stairs.

* * *

Punk headed into the kitchen where AJ was washing her hands and he lowered his head and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." He said to her.

"Don't be." She said cleaning herself off. "I'm just in a bad mood."

"Why is that?" he asked her. "Is this move not something you want to do? I'm willing to talk about it."

"No it's not about moving." she said throwing the towel into the sink and turning to look at him. "If I had known you were out there I wouldn't have gotten with Dean and that bothers me and it doesn't seem to bother you much."

"Are you mad that I'm not mad that you were with someone else?" Punk asked her.

"Yes. Because part of me is mad at you." she told him honestly. "Doesn't it bother you that another man touched me or had me in ways that you did?"

"Of course it does but I can't be mad at you for it." He said to her.

"I couldn't sleep a wink last night because I kept thinking about you with those other women." she said to him. "I'm mad at you, them- everyone. And I'm coming across as crazy because I'm the only one who seems to be mad!"

"You have a right to be angry." He agreed. "What can I do?"

"What?" she asked taken back.

"I made some mistakes and although I felt I did it for your safety you don't seem to believe it or think it's good enough so tell me how to prove to you how much I love you?" he asked her. "I came home to you. I took a bullet for you. I left my family for you. I missed the birth of my daughter for you. Tell me what I can do to make you feel loved?"

"You could go back in time and not have slept with those other women." She said to him. "But I guess that's impossible."

"AJ please I don't want to live in the past. I thought we talked about this already." he said to her.

"The more I think about it the more angry I get. Other women touching you makes me angry you should be happy I feel that way." she said to him.

"The minute I saw your body and what Dean did to it I went right over to his place and placed my gun in his mouth." Punk told her coldly. "Did you want me to pull the trigger? Would that have been enough for you?"

"That's not what I mean." she said shaking her head. "I should go check on Cat."

"Wait." Punk said grabbing her wrist and she flinched. "Why did you just do that?"

"Do what?" she asked.

"Flinch like that?" he asked her. "You think I could ever hurt you?"

"Of course not." She said pulling her wrist away from him.

"How bad were things with you and Dean?" he asked seriously.

"I'm done talking about Dean for tonight and forever." She informed him. "If I don't get to hear about your women you don't get to hear about Dean."

"You really want a rundown?" He asked her. "I don't remember their names!" he laughed.

"You said you were friends with them." She pointed out.

"Some of them. One girl her name was Justine and she was 45 and had three kids." Punk said to her. "I got her oldest son a job at the mechanic shop I worked at. Again meant nothing to me. Sex only means something if you share something more emotional."

"And you think we have that?" she asked him.

"I know we do and you know we do." he said running his finger down her cheek. "Leave all of that in the past now."

"I'm trying." She admitted. "It's just hard to go right back to where we were even though you seem to think it's so easy."

"You're right." He agreed. "I didn't consider your feelings or where you'd be at. It's just the only thing I'd think about while I was away. It motivated me." he admitted.

"Did it?" she asked softly.

"Look." He said pulling out his wallet and pulled out a small wallet size photo. "You and Cat when she turned six months. Kept it above my bed in my attic room that I lived in and fell asleep to it every night and right next to it was this one." it was the same photo he had of her at his desk but folded into his wallet. "This was up the first night I was there. And if it makes you feel any better I had a buddy in town stay at my place and he made a comment about how beautiful the woman in this photo was and I punched him in the face."

"Why would you punch him?" she asked him horrified.

"He didn't say 'beautiful' he said something a tad bit more vulgar and disgusting and he's lucky I only cracked his jaw." Punk smirked. "Now what do you want to do? Do you want to wait things out or go back to Jersey?"

"I want to go back to Jersey." She smiled softly. "I want everything you promised me before you left."

"You'll get it and then some." he promised.

"I'm only mad because I love you." She pouted wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him.

"I know that." he smiled tucking her hair behind her ear and was about to kiss her.

"AJ!" Colt yelled holding Catalina at arms length.

"Why are you holding my kid like a ticking bomb?" Punk scolded grabbing her quickly from him and AJ had to smile at how natural and protective he had become over her in such a short period of time.

"Da-da!" she sobbed.

"I know baby I'm here." Punk said rubbing her back. "What the fuck did you do?"

"She threw up on me!" Colt accused.

"I have clean towels upstairs go wash up and take something of Phil's." She said to Colt.

"AJ is she sick?" Punk asked worried.

"Feel her head." She said to him.

"Ok I'm feeling it." He said placing his hand on her head. "What am I supposed to be feeling AJ!?" he asked petrified.

"Is it hot?" she asked.

"I don't know it's warm." he said unsurely. "She seems so sad." he frowned looking at his crying daughter.

"Here." AJ said placing her own hand over her head. "She feels ok. Did you burp her after you fed her?"

"No I just put her to bed." Punk frowned. "That was wrong wasn't it?"

"It's ok." AJ assured him.

"I made her sick didn't I?" he asked her.

"No!" she said to him. "You're new at this it's ok."

"How do I fix her?" he asked her. "I have to fix her."

"Just hold her that seems to have settled her a bit. She likes when you talk to her and hold her." AJ said rubbing her daughters back gently.

"Daddy is very sorry." he cooed to his daughter.

"Let me clean her up first." She said holding her arms out.

"I can do that." he said not willing to let her go.

"Let me clean her up and you can take over night duty." she said to him.

"Ok." He said reluctantly passing her over to AJ but not before kissing her cheek. "So sorry baby."

"She doesn't know what you're saying." She laughed walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

"You picked my favorite shirt?" Punk asked walking into his room and found Colt putting on his favorite Blackhawks t-shirt.

"Just be happy you even still have clothes." Colt scoffed. "We begged AJ to give your stuff to good will but she refused."

"She's a good woman." Punk smirked walking into his huge closet and locating his safe.

"What's in there?" Colt asked. "We tried to get in there so many times."

"Whose we?" Punk asked with a laugh opening it.

"Just me and your sisters." He admitted. "AJ and your mom didn't give a shit what you had in there."

"It's my birth certificate, my sisters birth certificate, a necklace of her's and my mom's ring." Punk said to him.

"Your mom's engagement ring?" Colt asked as Punk pulled out the small velvet box. "Holy fuck!" he shouted looking at the huge diamond ring. "I forget sometimes that your folks were loaded."

"I wanted to bury her with it but I was young and the attorney's said it was worth too much money." Punk said to him.

"Ever have it appraised?" Colt questioned tilting his head to look at it.

The ring had one huge diamond in the middle and smaller diamonds framing it that reached into two bands that wrapped around the ring also covered in diamonds.

"No. I never planned on selling on it." Punk said to him. "But according to the attorney's my dad paid over 200 grand."

"Holy shit." he said in awe of it. "Can I touch it?"

"No." Punk said annoyed putting it back in the box and closing up the safe.

"What were you doing with it?" Colt asked.

"Just making sure it was still there." Punk said to him.

"Are you going to propose to AJ with that ring?" Colt asked with a grin.

"Possibly." he said to him. "I like the idea of her having her own ring but she's more traditional and would probably appreciate something handed down. Then we can pass it down to our son."

"You're having a son?" he asked unsurely.

"No you idiot in the future. Or Catalina can have it." Punk said to him.

"So you're really thinking about biting the bullet?" Colt teased. "Settling down? Mr. I'm never going to get married wants to get married? Or are you doing it because of Catalina?"

"I love AJ." Punk said bluntly. "Before I left we agreed to not even discuss marriage until after she was born but the second night I was away it's all I thought about it. It's not just because if something really does happen to me that I want her taken care of but I love her to death. I don't want to be with anyone else ever. Being with those other women only confirmed what I already knew."

"I wouldn't include that last sentence in the proposal if I were you." Colt suggested and Punk rolled his eyes. "So, when are you going to do it?"

"I don't know soon, not soon." He shrugged. "I want it to be right."

"Can I be best man?" Colt asked.

"Sure whatever." Punk said to him. "Don't get too excited after today I'm not sure she'd even say yes. She doesn't even think I like her let alone love her."

"She's just emotional it's been a confusing and tiring week." Colt said to him.

"Ok she's all cleaned up and looking for daddy." AJ announced walking over to Punk with his still unhappy daughter.

"Right here." Punk smiled taking her with ease. "Daddy will still with you until you fall asleep, ok?" he said to his daughter walking out of the room.

"How's daddy doing?" Colt laughing looking at AJ.

"He's fantastic with her and she adores him already." AJ told him. "I think she knows. She can feel how much he loves her."

"Loves you too." Colt told her.

"I know." she smirked. "Dean came by and he made me feel a little guilty-"

"Dean showed up here?" Colt frowned.

"Yea he did and did you really have to throw him out of his apartment?" AJ asked.

"He's lucky I didn't throw him out of the fucking window." Colt spat. "Dean is just realizing what he's lost. He blew it with you and if Punk didn't come back it wouldn't have ended well with you two anyway."

"I know." She said to him. "And seeing Punk only made me realize what I was missing from that relationship. Companionship and friendship- it wasn't just sex."

"TMI but ok." Colt teased.

* * *

A few hours later AJ packed more then went in to check on Cat and Punk. Punk was laying on the small couch in the room with Catalina sleeping straight across his chest and a blanket pulled up over both of them. AJ smiled and walked over to pick her up gently and Punk's eyes immediately darted open and tightened his grip around Catalina.

"It's just me." She whispered lifting Catalina and putting her into her crib.

"Sorry, I passed out." he yawned sitting up.

"Come on." She said grabbing him by both hands and pulling him out of the room.

"Are you still packing or-" he stopped when AJ pulled his face to meet hers and began to kiss him.

Punk wasn't sure what bought it on but he was all for it. His arms wrapped around her body and walked backwards to their bedroom. AJ's hands were running all over his face and hair as his hands ran under her t-shirt and walked backwards into the room.

AJ pulled away from the kiss and quickly pulled his shirt up over his head and began to kiss him again. Punk grabbed AJ's ass and lifted her up so her legs were wrapped around his body and pressed her to the wall. He used the wall as support to pull her shirt up over her head now and tugged at her bra and kissed her breast only to be pulled back up to her lips. AJ was moving her hips the best she could against him as he moved to her jeans and was only able to un-button them given their position. He pushed off the wall and walked her to the bed where he plopped her down.

AJ rolled onto her stomach and looked over her shoulder with a teasing smirk and he pulled her pants rights down her legs causing her to giggle at his eagerness. As Punk began to remove his pants he watched her crawl up the bed but was in a kneeling position and looking at the wall. Punk got onto the bed and was right behind her now and kissed down her spine and over her ass. He then ran his hands over her thin thong string and tugged it to the side.

"I don't want to hurt you." he whispered. "Turn around."

"You couldn't hurt me even if you tried." She said holding onto the bedpost.

Punk grabbed his hard member and ran it between her sweet folds teasingly. He then slipped his head into her but not the usual spot. They hadn't had sex that way before and they wouldn't be tonight but he did want to tease her a bit. She looked over her shoulder and with wild eyes grinned at him as she licked her lips.

"Not tonight." he smirked and moved down to her other entrance and entered her with one hard thurst.

"This is good too." She moaned as Punk's chest fell over he back and he moved into her roughly but still managing not to hurt her.

Punk was kissing her shoulder blade and going into her as far as he could with every thrust while she held onto the headboard. It was rougher then the other night but still so beautiful to her. This was all the assurance she needed that he really did love her. She moaned happily as his tongue ran over her back and his teeth gently nipped at her flesh.

"You ok?" he asked noting how quiet she was.

"I'm just enjoying it." She said happily as he moved in and out of her.

"Never doubt how much I love you." He said to her and she just nodded.

"I won't." she promised.

This went out for close to twenty minutes until they both came. AJ was laying flat on her stomach and so was Punk. They were looking into each others and not saying a word while Punk twirled a strand of her hair with his finger.

"I can't wait to go home with you." She admitted breaking the silence.

"Me either." he said to her.

"I was thinking we could have Thanksgiving this year." she said to him.

"That's in like two weeks." Punk pointed out.

"I know but I think it would be nice to have Shawn and his family over for a change. Vickie maybe." she shrugged. "Just like a welcome home thing."

"Whatever you want to do." Punk said now gently stroking her back with his fingers.

"It's not just my house it's up to you." AJ reminded him.

"I want what you want." Punk told her honestly.

"In that case I want you again." She smiled and his eyebrow lifted while his mouth grinned.

"I could go all night." He remarked smugly rolling her onto her back and mounting her.

"We do have a lot of time to make up for..." she reasoned.

"We do." he agreed holding her arms over her head. "A year and a half."

"Long time." She got out as he kissed her neck. "Really long time."

"Uh-huh." He agreed.

Both froze when they heard cries coming from Catalina's room.

"She's fussy tonight." She said pushing him off of her and reaching for his shirt and throwing it on along with his boxers.

"I'll get her." Punk said to her.

"No you stay and sleep." She said kissing his head. "You've been hogging her enough."

"You had her for a year." Punk pointed out.

"In a few weeks it's going to turn into 'it's your turn to get her'." she warned him laughing. "But seriously get some sleep because we have to finish packing. I want to be back in Jersey soon and get Charger."

"You're the boss." He smirked and watched her leave the room.

"Mommy's here." he heard her say over the baby monitor and grinned looking up at the ceiling.

Punk got out of the bed and ventured back into his closet and towards the safe where he pulled out the ring. He peeked out to make sure AJ hadn't snuck back in and placed it in his own bag and hid it in-between his clothes. His heart was racing as he was growing more nervous then threw on a pair of boxers and shorts and was going to check in on Catalina but AJ walked in the room with her in her arms.

"Sometimes when she's fussy like this I keep her in bed with me." AJ told him. "So don't squash her." she warned him placing her on the bed and she was sitting up still sniffling.

"What's wrong?" Punk frowned getting into the bed and rubbing her little back. "Are you so tired you can't even sleep?"

"I think that's it." AJ said getting into the bed on the other side so she wouldn't roll out.

"She looks just like you when she cries." Punk smiled looking over to AJ who didn't look amused. "Come on it's adorable."

"Well she looks like you when she's pooing. Makes that same confused constipated face." she remarked smugly and throwing the blankets up.

"Doesn't bother me." Punk scoffed picking Catalina up and laying her against the bed. "No, sleep." he said to her as she tried to get up.

Catalina crawled right back onto Punk's chest and was almost forcing herself to cry.

"She loves you more than me and she only just met you." AJ huffed.

"Nah she just missed me." Punk smiled. "Right baby?" he asked kissing her head as her tears began to dwindle.


	31. Epilogue

**A/N: Special shout out for everyone who has reviewed or read the story! Thank you so much! This is the end and normally this would be where I'd do the whole 'don't know when I'll be back' thing but let's be real- I'll be back soon. Not sure what I would even write about since I have so many Punk/AJ stories but we'll see. Anyways, thanks again to everyone!**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

"You don't have enough room in her room for all these toys." Shawn noted holding another box of Catalina's toys.

"I know." AJ frowned from the bottom of the steps. They were finally moving back into their New Jersey home and everything was overwhelming at the moment but she wanted it to be unpacked already. "Put it in the living room and we'll set up a play area in there for her."

"Gotcha." Shawn said turning right and heading into the living room. "Where did Punk go?"

"He took Charger for a walk with Cat." AJ said to him.

"So how are things going? Happy to be back?" Shawn asked her.

"At first I was hesitant to come back here giving everything we've gone through here but now it feels right." she said happily. "I have my home, my daughter and my boyfriend."

"Good for you kid." Shawn grinned. "And everyone is excited to have you both back, well I should say the three of you."

"Are you guys coming to Thanksgiving?" she asked him.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Shawn said to her. "Cheryl gets a holiday off from cooking she's on cloud nine."

"Good." AJ smiled picking up a box and carrying it into the kitchen. "This place is still exactly the same." She noted as she opened the closet door. "And look." She smiled pointing at the marks.

"Your mom used to measure you huh?" Shawn smirked looking at it.

"And on this side we're going to measure Catalina." She said to him. "It's what I've always wanted."

"I know." Shawn smiled. "I'm real happy this all worked out and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you Punk at the time."

"It's ok." she said to him. "I'm letting all of that go and moving past it." she said grabbing one of Punk's bags to bring upstairs but spilled everything out of it not realizing it was open. "Crap." she muttered bending down and throwing his clothes back in.

"What's this?" Shawn asked helping her and picking up a box.

"Let me see." She insisted and he passed her the box and opened it. "Holy crap." she gasped.

"Holy crap." Shawn agreed eyeing the tremendous diamond. "That's the biggest ring I have ever seen in my life."

"It's his mothers." AJ said admiring it. "His family was looking all over for it when he died, or we thought he did. It's worth so much money they didn't want it to end up in the wrong hands. They wanted to put it away for Catalina one day."

"I guess he had it the whole time." Shawn shrugged.

"They think it was in his safe at home." AJ said closing the box and putting it back in the bag.

"Is he going to propose to you with it?" Shawn asked.

"No." AJ said standing up with the bag.

"Why no? You don't think he wants to marry you?" Shawn asked. "It's the next logical step."

"There's nothing logical about us." AJ teased. "He probably just wants the ring close to him."

"Or he's going to propose to you with it." Shawn suggested again.

"He said he wanted to marry me the night he came home but I think he was just emotional and was happy to be home." She said to him.

"I spoke to him a few times while he was gone and all he asked about was you and your daughter. Didn't care about anything else, nothing else was in his head." Shawn told her. "Don't think he's only here for Catalina."

"I don't." AJ whispered.

"You do." Shawn smirked. "Trust me the guy is all about you."

At that moment the front door swung open and Charger ran in and right to his water bowl.

"Catalina tortures him." Punk said carrying her inside.

"You should have put her in the stroller." AJ smiled.

"Nah, I like holding her." Punk smiled at his daughter then saw AJ with his bag. "What are you doing with that bag?"

"I was just going to bring it upstairs." She replied.

"Oh I've got it." he said quickly and passed Catalina off to her and snatched the bag from her. "I've got a lot of stuff in here." he then jogged up the stairs.

"Didn't want you to find that ring." Shawn teased.

"I'm not getting my hopes up." AJ admitted. "I'm just happy he's a back I didn't need anything more."

"We all want more sweetheart." Shawn smirked. "And it's okay to."

* * *

Two weeks later and everything was finally unpacked and back to normal. Punk was back to work, AJ was home with Catalina and Charger and life was good. She was preparing for the big Thanksgiving feast that not only was Shawn and his entire family coming to but so Punk's family was flying in as well. It was the next day but a lot of preparation went into it.

"Hey." Punk greeted walking in from work at almost midnight. "Why are you still up?"

"I have a lot to pre-cook." She said mixing something in a bowl. "This is a lot, why didn't you talk me out of this?" She asked sadly turning to look at him and he laughed seeing powder on her nose and all over her apron.

"I tried." He laughed. "Catalina sleeping?"

"Yea she went right out. The one night she isn't fussy and wants to sleep I have to be up." AJ mocked. "Typical."

"I'll help." He offered taking off his jacket.

"No you worked all day, go upstairs and get some sleep." she said to him.

"Ok." he said not putting up a fight and walked over to give her a kiss. "If you change your mind come and get me."

"I will." she smiled. "Did you have a good day?"

"I did. Tomorrow will be better." he smirked then walked out of the kitchen.

Ten minutes later Punk was back in the kitchen leaning in the doorway watching her after only running upstairs to change and shower.

"I know you're standing there." AJ laughed. "Not only can I sense you but I can smell your soap."

"I'm just watching you." He shrugged.

"Right." she laughed then looked over to him. "What's wrong? Can't sleep?"

"Nah." he shrugged walking further into the kitchen. "You know what I was thinking about?"

"What?" She asked covering a dish with plastic wrap.

"Thanksgiving two years ago." Punk said to her.

"Two years ago?" she asked then it hit her. "Oh yea." she blushed.

"We went to Shawn's then came back here and played monopoly." he reminded her as he slowly made his way over to her.

"I remember it." she said to him. "The power went out..."

"...and we made love for the first time." he finished wrapping his arms around her.

"Yea I remember." She smiled. "All night as a matter of fact."

"And now two years later you're not just the really pretty girl I'm protecting." he pointed out. "You're the mother of my child, my other half." He said kissing her.

"You made this a home for me again. I don't have to live in fear and gave me the best gift of all, Catalina." she said to him.

"Everything we talked about has happened." He pointed out. "The house, the baby, Charger- it's all right here."

"I know." She said to him. "I feel very at peace."

"Yet I don't." He said abruptly pulling away from her and she frowned. "It's just wrong."

"Being here with us is wrong?" She asked petrified.

"No being here is right." He said thinking about it unsurely. "Just something is very off."

"With Catalina?" She asked confused.

"No, you." He said pointing at her and now she was really confused.

"I've been off?" She asked. "I mean I've been adjusting but I think I'm ok." she defended. "Am I doing something wrong?" she asked hurtfully.

"No I've done something wrong." he said to her. "I should have said this two years ago to you."

"Phil." She started off growing worried.

"I love you." He said grabbing her hands and dropping down to one knee. "I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I want to marry you and be a complete family with you and Catalina and I want to add to the family. Everything bad that happened to me in Chicago lead me straight here to you and I don't regret anything anymore, I'm not bitter I'm just grateful." he said opening the box to the ring she had found earlier. "Marry me." he requested.

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously and he let out a laugh.

"Yea I'm pretty sure." He snorted.

"Yes." she whispered.

"Yea?" he asked with a slow forming smile and she nodded.

Punk stood up and took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger and then looked at it oddly.

"What's wrong?" she asked as tears fell from her eyes.

"It fits perfectly." He said in awe of it. "That's weird I thought I'd at least have to get it sized."

"I guess it was just meant to be." She smiled looking at it.

"This ring was my mothers." He told her.

"I know." She smiled looking up at him. "And I'm honored to be wearing it."

"I'll get you your own." he reasoned.

"This is my own now." She said to him and kissed him. "Thank you. I love you too. You make me so incredibly happy."

"Let's be happy for the rest of out lives than?" he suggested with a smirk.

"Forever." she agreed jumping up into his arms.

They didn't make it upstairs but over to the couch where was the first he had AJ two years on this day. It was fitting and a very 'full circle' moment for the two of them...

* * *

Punk and AJ were married six months later in May in the garden of her home in New Jersey. Colt served as best man, Charger carried the rings down the aisle, Roe served as AJ's maid of honor and Catalina was the prettiest flower girl in the world. The icing on the cake was AJ's father walking her down the aisle. AJ also wore her mother's wedding dress and had it altered to fit her perfectly. The dress was timeless and breathtaking at the same time and Punk was so taken away by how beautiful she looked he couldn't even speak and get his vows after right away.

They danced and cuddled the entire night and he swept her off to Mexico for their honeymoon. AJ spent a lot of the honeymoon on skype with Roe who was in New Jersey and watching Catalina for the week so they could go away. Punk did pry her away long enough from the screen to get her pregnant again. Nine months later AJ gave birth to a son who was named Phillip Jr. Now they had one of each and both were very happy with the sudden and again, unexpected surprise.

Punk continued to work on the police force in New Jersey and when Shawn retired and was promoted to Captain of the small town police department when his boss also retired and he worked with Agent John Cena another big case. He hated working with John but it did get him a big promotion and a guarantee he'd be home for dinner every night with his wife and children.

And as for AJ, she did finish her book and did end up publishing it and began to write a sequel for it. She was sure more and more everyday that Phil was a gift from her mother sent to her. It was horrific when Jake Miller escaped and had AJ in his sights she was positive Phil was a blessing from her. The day he showed up at her door with Shawn she knew he was special but had no idea that he was going to save her life and not just from Jake but from herself. He also gave her the most beautiful children and the happiest life. Jake Miller who brought such ugliness into her life also brought her the best part of it. AJ lived for her Catalina's dance recitals and Phillip's little league baseball games and the best parts of her days were everything was quiet and her and Punk could curl up on the couch and talk about his work day and kiss like teenagers. It's just like the life she wrote about in her book, the life she always wanted only now it was a reality...


End file.
